what is the difference in potential between the 3 wires, live, neutral , and earth?
Answers
Electric current flows from the positive terminal of the power source to the negative terminal. Charge is carried by negatively charged electrons in the wires. There are three wires in an appliance. The appliance works properly when two wires are used - the live (brown) wire and the neutral (blue) wire. The current is carried at a high voltage to the appliance by the live wire. The circuit is completed by the neutral wire which carries the current away from the appliance. The third wire is called the earth wire (green or yellow). It is a safety wire which connects the metal case of the appliance to the earth. In case a fault occurs the earth wire allows a large current to flow through the live and earth wires. Due to this the fuse is overheated and it melts and breaks the circuit.