DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WIRE AND CABLE?
Answers
A wire is a single conductor(material most commonly being copper or aluminium) while cable is two or more insulated wires wrapped in one jacket. Multiple conductors that have no insulation around would be classified as a single conductor.
Wires and cables are the terms that are frequently used in the electrical and communication field. But, people tend to get confused about both the terms as they look similar, but actually are quite different. And in this article, we will be giving you a brief description of the difference between wires and cables.
List some of the basic differences between Wires and Cables
The basic key difference between wires and cables is that a wire is a single conductor whereas a cable is a group of conductors. Although, these conductors are made of a common material- copper or aluminium. Usually, the wires are bare and are twisted. But, some of the wires are coated with thin PVC layer. And in case of cables, they run parallelly and are twisted or bonded together to form a single case. For the safety purpose, an inner and outer sheath is made.
Wire
A wire is measured by diameter. According to the diameter of the wire, it will be measured by a gauge number. The smaller the gauge number, the thicker the wire. The perfect gauge that is used in residential applications is 10 & 20. But, do keep in mind that big wires carry more current and can damage household appliances by burning the fuse.
Cable
A cable contains a hot wire carrying the current, a neutral wire to complete the loop and a grounding wire as well. A cable is classified by the total number of wires it is made up of and their gauge.
Different uses of Wire and Cable
Use of Wire
A wire is used to carry electricity, to bear the mechanical loads, to transmit telecommunication signals, for heating jewellery, clothing, automotive or any industrial manufactured parts like pins, bulbs and needles.
Use of Cable
A cable is used for power transmission, for telecommunication signals or to carry electricity.