What is the earth, neutral and live wire for?
What colors are they respectively?
2007-08-19 00:39:35 · 3 answers · asked by Booyah! 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
The colours of the wires are used universally to represent the same things:
Earth is green and yellow
Live is brown
Neutral is blue.
2007-08-19 00:48:24 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alternating current does what it says (flips 50 times a second -Europe, 60 times US and Canada) so the live wire carries the current and the neutral wire acts as the reference point around which the current traces its wave. The earth wire is a safety device which carries current to earth. Inefficiently earthed devices feel 'furry' when you stroke them, use with care.
Colours vary as to where the wires are:
In a building and to sockets then it is red for live, black for neutral and green for earth. On the leads of domestic equipment then the colours are as the first answer.
2007-08-19 08:01:44 · answer #2 · answered by ToneAL5 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The color codes vary depending on geographic location. Under the North American standard, "live" or "hot" is Black, neutral is White, and earth is Green. Under the European standard, they are Brown, Blue and Green (w/yellow stripe).
2007-08-19 20:04:08 · answer #3 · answered by skeptik 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋