Question

What is the purpose of a switch in a circuit? Why is switch put in a live wire?

Answer 1

yes which is used to break or connect the circuit in a series .the switch is put into life because as earlier said It Breaks or make a correction in a series so direct collection is needed

Answer 2

Why should switch be connected only on the phase wire and never on the neutral wire in an electric circuit?



To reduce the risk of getting a shock and to prevent any accident from happening.

As in case of fire, if you want to control the fire you have to control it from its source. In similar if you want to have a better control over electricity you have to control it from its source, in our case it is live wire.

Live wire in our houses at any of its point have an electric potential of 230 V with respect to ground while the netral wire is at 0 V potential. For any applicance to work or any circuit to get complete we require this potential difference to be bridged. Which we do through wires and for control we have switches in the circuit.

Now coming to the question, if you put your switch on the neutral wire there is a high risk of circuit getting completed as any break on the neutral wire could easily get in contact of any other netral terminal which could act as 0 potential terminal as we are surrounded by many such things like utensils of metal, water on the surface etc thus completing the circuit. If you are the unlucky one you could be the part of this circuit. As shown below



On the other hand if you have switch on the live wire the circuit will not be completed until an unless the switch is closed as there is no other way it could get 230 V of electric potential. Thus saving you from occurance of such an accident.