Commutation is the process of applying current to a motor so that a rotating magnetic field may be established. In the illustration, current is commutated to windings in the stator. The stator is on the perimeter of the motor and does not move. The permanent magnets in the rotor are attracted and/or repelled by the magnetic fields in the stator created as a result of precisely timed application of current through the commutation process. The illustration above is very simple. Notice that poles in the stator are alternately energized with a polarity that magnetically attracts the rotor to move in a clockwise direction. In the real world, both attraction and repulsion are used to increase speed, power and efficiency.