Download Article Show Download Article When you're dealing with electrical wiring, it's important to know which is positive and which is negative—but how are you supposed to tell them apart? The easiest way to tell is by looking at the color, but the colors mean different things depending on what kind of power is being used. Don't worry, it's not as confusing as it sounds! We're going to explain everything you need to know so you can correctly identify positive and negative electrical wires no matter what you're working on. Things You Should Know
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Add New Question
Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement
Advertisement ReferencesAbout This ArticleArticle SummaryX If you want to identify positive and negative wires, keep in mind that appliance plugs have hot wires and neutral sites, rather than positive and negative sides. However, if you're using an extension cord, the positive wire will be the smooth one, while the negative wire will have a ribbed or grooved texture. To find the right wires on a speaker, check to see which colors you have. For example, negative silver wires are paired with positive gold wires. Alternatively, if you have a black wire, it'll be negative if the other wire is red, or positive if the other wire is striped. For more tips, like how to use a digital multimeter to identify positive and negative wires, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 866,569 times. Reader Success Stories
If you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Did this article help you?Is a black and white wire positive or negative?Things You Should Know. For DC power, the red wire is positive and the black wire is negative. For AC power, the black wire is the phase 1 hot wire, which means it's positive. The red wire is a phase 2 hot wire, and the white wire is neutral.
Which wire is positive on a black and white wire?The positive wire, also commonly called the hot wire, will typically be black in color. It is the source of the electricity.
Is black negative or positive?Each battery has two metal terminals. One is marked positive (+), the other negative (-). There are also positive and negative cables in the jumper cable set. The red one is positive (+), the black one is negative (-).
What happens if you connect white wire to black wire?If the system is “live” you will likely produce a moderate to serious spark and the breaker supplying power to the wires will trip. If the system is off (breaker in off or tripped position) then nothing will happen until you turn the power back on.
|