Re: Basic Home Electrical Question


Now If I were to touch the white wire (assuming it was wired correctly
to the "calm lake", it's just connected a resevoir of electrons at
ground potential so there's no flow. However if I were to touch the
black wire and provide a path to ground, then this "water" would be
flowing through me, e.g. an electrical shock.

Not exactly, when the white wire or neutral is part of a circuit, there is
"flow", and if you were to cut that neutral wire and get between the two
wires, or the live end and ground, there will be flow through you.







<wardellcastles@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1130031120.161321.127470@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>I think I understand this a little better now thanks to everyone's
> responses.
>
> Let me restate what I think some people have said plus what else I've
> managed to google.
>
> If I pretend the electron flow was water instead of electrons, then
> what's happening is that the electric company is pushing and pulling
> "water" through the black wires at the rate of 60 cycles per second at
> an energy level of 120 volts, hence this is "hot".
>
> The white wire, e.g. "pipe" is connected to a large calm lake, e.g.
> ground potential.
>
> Now If I were to touch the white wire (assuming it was wired correctly
> to the "calm lake", it's just connected a resevoir of electrons at
> ground potential so there's no flow. However if I were to touch the
> black wire and provide a path to ground, then this "water" would be
> flowing through me, e.g. an electrical shock.
>
> Is this at least a reasonable analofy of why black is "hot" and why
> white is "neutral"?
>
> Thanks to everyone for their response.
>


.

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