"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...
According to Robert11 :
Hello,

Just want to get the terminology correct.

Understand the differences between the Ground and the neutral in house
wiring O.K., but for
the bare wire that comes in from the street (along with the two phases)
to
the house service panel:

is this correctly called a Ground wire or a Neutral wire ?

Neither. John Grabowski's response is correct, but I thought I'd
amplify.

The technically correct term for the "neutral" in the house wiring, and
the "non-hot" wire
that comes from the street is "grounded conductor" - the conductor is
groundED (at the
panel).

The technically correct term for the bare wire in house wiring is
"grounding conductor"
it provides the groundING for a circuit.

Pedantically speaking, the term "neutral" can only be applied to the
center conductor
on a multi-phase circuit (eg: three phase).

However, through common usage in the trade and elsewhere, "neutral" has
come
to be synonymous with "grounded conductor" and "ground"/"ground wire"
synonymous for
"grounding conductor".

You'll occasionally see people use the "more-correct" terms here - usually
confuses
people. You'll impress the inspector if you use them ;-)
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.
The subject has been well covered but the term "neutral" was and is used by
people in the electrical trade (electricians, linemen, engineers, writers,
etc.) to refer to a grounded conductor, whether it is a center-tap or end
connection. This usage basically means "not hot", or relatively safe.

Don Young