In article , (Charles H. Buchholtz) wrote:
Patrick ) wrote:
: I have always been puzzled by the fact that even though Alternating
: Current is delivered to a house, we consider one wire, usually the
: black wire, "hot" and white wire "neutral." Why is it that if the
: current is alternating through the house, that the black wire is
: considered the hot wire? It seems to me that if the same wire is always
: hot (when the current is flowing), the current is acting as direct
: current. If the current is alternating within the house, why wouldn't
: the black wire be hot on one cycle and the white wire by hot on the
: next/return cycle?

At one point in the cycle, the hot wire has a +120V potential, and the
neutral (and ground) wires are at 0, for a voltage differential of
120V. At the opposite point in the cycle, the hot wire has a -120V
potential, and the neutral (and ground) wires are at 0, for a voltage
differential of 120V "in the opposite direction".

Close but no cigar.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/power2.htm

But, if you
disconnect the hot from the neutral, it is safe to touch the neutral,

Like hell it is. If there's a load anywhere on the circuit, there *is* current
flowing through the neutral, and you *can* get shocked from it.

but not safe to touch the hot.

Got that part right, anyway...


--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?