Question

In household wiring, which two wires have the same potential ?

Answer 1

Hint: There are three types of wires in any domestic circuit, namely, Live, Earth, Neutral and we receive power in our house through these wires only. Each of these wires has its own function and purpose.

Complete answer:
Let’s understand the function of each wire first, Live wire or hot wire has a high potential/voltage of $$220V$$and it has red insulation. We should never touch this wire because of its high voltage.The neutral wire has black insulation and its voltage/potential is maintained very close to ground and that voltage is often taken to be zero. The neutral wires help in completing the circuit.

The earth wire is green in colour and is provided for safety purposes. So it usually carries no current but if something goes wrong in the appliance, then the earth wire may carry the current and save us from the shock. It is connected to a metal plate placed deep in the ground near the house. As it is connected to ground, it also has zero potential.

Therefore, the two wires which have the same potential are Earth and Neutral wire.

Note: In case of any problem in the wiring system in any appliance, the current flows through earth wire and not through the appliance because the earth wire has a very low resistance due to which the current chooses the low resistance path and saves us from the shock.