Table of Contents
Why do two wires carry current?
Current is driven through a wire by an electric field. If the circuit is not closed charge will accumulate which produces an opposing field reducing the field strength in the wire to zero. jack476 said: Now, the reason we need two wires is that to make those electrons move they need to use up potential energy.
What are the two wires for power?
The black wire is the “hot” wire, it carries the electricity from the breaker panel into the switch or light source. The white wire is the “neutral” wire, it takes any unused electricity and current and sends it back to the breaker panel.
Do you need two wires to complete a circuit?
For the flow of current, electric circuit must be a closed one. If at any point in the circuit the wire is cut or broken or the connection of wire is open, the circuit is called an open circuit. Electric current cannot flow through such a circuit. Thus, an electric circuit is complete with two wires.
What happens if two live wires touch?
You will receive a shock if you touch two wires at different voltages at the same time. You will receive a shock if you touch a live wire and are grounded at the same time. When a circuit, electrical component, or equipment is energized, a potential shock hazard is present.
What happens when two wires touch?
Answer: If the two wires are at different voltage levels, a short circuit is created when they touch each other. When you bring the two wires closer to each other, at one point, the gap is so low that the air between the wires is ionised and it breaks down, allowing a spark between the two surfaces.
Which wire is live?
Brown
Plug wiring colours
| Wire | Colour |
|---|---|
| Live | Brown |
| Neutral | Blue |
| Earth | Yellow and Green |
How many wires are in a circuit?
In modern electrical circuits used to wire receptacles (electrical outlets). Typically an electrical receptacle is wired with two insulated wires and a bare ground wire, all three of which are encased in a plastic (NMC) or metal (BX) jacket.
Why would anyone use two wires to conduct electricity from a power plant to a house when they could simply use one wire and a pair of ground connections?
Why would anyone use two wires to conduct electricity from a power plant to a house, as shown, when they could simply use one wire and a pair of ground connections, like this? Wires made of metal conduct electricity far more efficiently, which results in more electrical power delivered to the end user.
Can I put 2 Live wires together?
Connecting two live wires in such a way to the switch will do nothing if both live wires are from the same source, as no current will flow as they should both possess the same potential measured in volts ( An electrical current flows between points of different potentials) BUT if the ‘Live’ wires are from different …
Can two hot wires be connected together?
Two hots of same leg but different circuits (i.e., 2 different fuses or breakers) – nothing should happen in most cases, but if you have GFCI protection either at the panel or upstream of at least one of the wires and any devices on (besides this nonfunctional switch) then the GFCI may detect that the hot (now coming …