2006-10-02 02:17:07 · 4 answers · asked by Zab Ragga 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
You are probably asking a practical question about household electricity. And for that purpose, Deep Thought's response is right on target (as are most of his responses to questions, I might add).
But you may be interested to know that current does not require a neutral or ground wire. In order for a current to flow, all that is required is a difference in voltage between two points and a path through which the curent can flow. the path can be as simple as a wire, or can be something more complicated, such as a light bulb (basically a wire with enough resistance so that it gets very hot), a motor, a television, etc.
It's not the difference between a voltage and "ground" that matters, but rather the difference between the voltage on one side of the path and the voltage on the other side.
2006-10-04 03:30:23 · answer #1 · answered by actuator 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What is called the neutral is usually the side of the electrical circuit that has no potential to ground. That is, if you touch the neutral while standing on a grounded surface, you will not get a shock. If a high current is flowing in the circuit, and there are large line losses, the current will cause a voltage drop in the neutral, and while you will probably not get a shock, the current that you bleed off could operate a ground-fault-interupter (GFI) outlet. The ground is generally connected to a true ground. It is not intended to conduct current. It is there for safety reasons, and as such will conduct lightning generated currents to ground, and bleed static electricity to ground. It is usually the green wire in a circuit while the Black wire is the voltage source, and the white is the neutral.
I hope that this helps.
2006-10-02 09:37:48 · answer #2 · answered by Joseph G 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The 'low' or 'return' side of an AC line is supposed to be at ground (earth) potential. The green 'neutral' or 'ground' wire is ued to connect any metal parts of the appliance or tool to this ground so that an accidental short won't leave the exposed metal at a high potential with respect ot ground. This prevents shocks and/or electrocution.
Doug
2006-10-02 09:35:08 · answer #3 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both the neutral and the ground wires are connected to earth. The difference is that the neutral is designed to carry power current while the ground is designed to safely divert stray currents.
2006-10-02 09:54:05 · answer #4 · answered by Deep Thought 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋