Domestic electricity Flashcards
What are the 3 wires in the ring main circuit
Live
Earth
Neutral
What does the live do
Carries a current into the house at a high voltage
What does the Earth do
Operating normally this wire carries no current
What does the Neutral do
Completes the circuit and has same current as the live wire but a lower voltage
What is the Earth wire connected to and why
A device with A metal case so if the live wire touched the casing due to a Fault, then the current will safely travel to the Earth through the Earth wire
What does the fuse do
Stops the current if it becomes too large by melting a wire in the fuse which prevents the device from over heating
What does the miniature circuit breaker do
Stops the current if it becomes too large
Reacts more quickly and can be reset
What’s the residual current circuit breaker
Reacts very quickly and can be reset and can protect someone from an electric shock
Stops the current if the current in the neutral wire is different to the live wire
What are the advantages of a ring main circuit
Can travel two ways to make the wires thinner and have a lower current in each part
Can add more sockets anywhere on the ring and will have same voltage
How can electricity be supplied
By alternating current
Or direct current
How is voltage supplied
By the national grid
How is the energy in a home measured
By using kilowatt hours (kWh)
