Mains Electricity Flashcards
why is water dangerous next to electricity
as its a very good conductor of electricity due to its amount of ions
blue wire is
the neutral wire
stripy wire is
the earth wire
brown wire is
the live wire
live wire is the one that
carries the voltage
what does the live wire do
provides the path along in which the electricity from the power station travels
what does the neutral wire do
completes the circuit to and from the heating element
what does the earth wire do
has no current flowing through it and protects you if an appliance has a fault. one end to the earth (ground) and the other to the outer metal casing
what is AC
alternating current - current changes direction ad voltage changes value frequently, domestic electricity 3 pin plug
what is DC
direct current - constant voltage and currents remain in the same direction
what is double insulation
a device with electric circuits but without the earth wire as it is covered twice with insulation
the fuse is in series with
the live wires
what does the fuse do
in cases where it can’t take a current greater than its limit, it will heat up, melt and break the circuit (usually happens when the heating element is not part of the circuit and the live wire is connected to the outer casing made of metal)
how does someone get an electric shock
if the fuse is on the neutral wire as the metal casing would become part of the circuit if the live wire is not connected to the heating element OR there is no earth wire and the live wire with the fuse is not connected to the heating element
