[Gllug] OT: Mains electricity colour coding.

[Dylan]

On Sunday 24 Oct 2010, general_email at technicalbloke.com wrote:
> 
> I'm wondering now if and how the notion of "live" and "neutral" is
> different to that of "positive and negative". If so can anyone breifly
> explain or point me to a website that explains?

Positive and negative apply to DC - the electrons flow continuously and at a 
steady rate from -ve to +ve.

Live and neutral apply to AC - the electrons oscillate in rate and direction 
over time.

So, a DC circuit is like a pipe with the battery like a pump, whereas AC is 
like a string fixed at one end (neutral) and oscillating at the other (live).

In practice, only lamps, motors and heating elements use AC directly, and it 
really makes no difference (in a single phase supply) which way round they are 
wired unless there's a dimmer in the circuit - just think how many things have 
2-pin figure-8 leads.


-- 
" '... but there is so much else behind what I say. It makes itself known to 
me so slowly, so incompletely! ...' "
-- 
Gllug mailing list  -  Gllug at gllug.org.uk
http://lists.gllug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/gllug