GCSE Combined Science (AQA)

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Three-Core Plugs

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Electricity Domestic uses and safety

Three-Core Plugs

3:55 Mains Electricity
Spec 4.2.1.1 4.2.3.2
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  • Cables carry electrical currents from plug sockets to appliances.
  • Cables are wrapped with insulating plastic to prevent electrocution.
  • Inside a cable, there are three wires: live wire (brown), neutral wire (blue), and earth wire (green and yellow striped).
  • Live wire carries an alternating potential difference from the supply.
  • Neutral wire completes the circuit to the appliance, allowing current to flow.
  • The current in both live and neutral wires constantly changes direction due to alternating current.
  • Each wire in a cable corresponds to a prong in a plug.
  • In British plugs, the neutral wire is on the left, the live wire on the right, and the earth wire at the top.
  • The current from the live wire passes through a fuse before reaching its prong.
  • Some plugs have only two prongs, with earth wires connecting to a separate conductor on their casing.
  • A fuse breaks a circuit when the current becomes too large, containing a thin wire that melts at high currents.
  • Fuses are used in plugs to cut off the live wire when its current becomes too large and can also be connected directly in circuits.
  • The circuit symbol for a fuse looks like a resistor with a line through it.

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