Probably More Than You Care To Know
Electricity is defined as the flow of electrons from one atom to another.
A circuit is defined as a "complete pathway" for electricity to flow. In other words it begins at a source, travels through a conductor, goes through a load, and returns to the source. Ergo, the electrons cannot get lost along some point. if the electrons do not complete the circuit as stated above it will be because they found an alternate path; ie through you.
Electrons do not get used up in this process. They must complete the circuit. In the process of going through a lamp filament which has a high resistance they give off heat and light is created as they fight their way through.
In the United States residential electricity is supplied using only one phase. (there may be three phases at the pole but only one is feeding the transformer that supplies the residence. The secondary of that transformer has a center tap (neutral point). That point is grounded at the transformer. A normal 60hz. sine wave will be produced from hot leg to hot leg or neutral to hot leg. (Note the hot conductors cannot be referred to as A and or B Phases because they are both from the same phase.) The amplitude or voltage will be graphed on a oscilloscope corresponding to the voltage in the circuit.
Three Phase power is different. This power is normally supplied using two or three transformers and using three phases; A, B, and C.
Delta configurations use two or three transformers. Open Delta uses two transformers and Closed Delta uses three. The neutral in both cases comes off of a center tap in one of the transformers. Delta configurations create a High Leg. This high leg causes a higher voltage to neutral and cannot be used for 110-120 volt circuits.
Wye configurations are wired with a single neutral tap at one end of the three windings which are connected. Because they are equal distances from the other ends of the windings the voltage from Phase to neutral will be the same for all three phases.
Hopefully this will cause some greater confusion out there and give us something more to talk about.
[This message has been edited by dturner (edited 03-02-2001).]
