In North America, why is the wide prong neutral instead of the narrow prong?

The name of the pictureThe name of the pictureThe name of the pictureClash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP











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3
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The wide prong is neutral on 15 amp US power outlets.



Is there a reason it was designed this way, or could the narrow slot just as easily have been neutral instead? Was this design decision arbitrary?






outlet power-grid







share|improve this question























  • There's really no such thing as arbitration in engineering otherwise a lot of people would get hurt using the products we design. I think it would be best if refer to NEMA Standards to kind of point you in the right direction.
    – KingDuken
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    @KingDuken Tell Ben Franklin before he arbitrarily decides the direction of "current"...
    – Elliot Alderson
    3 hours ago










  • @ElliotAlderson Well, at least we've been consistent LOL :)
    – KingDuken
    3 hours ago










  • without a definitive source - I suspect that polarized plugs came along after non-polarized versions. It makes sense to make one prong wider, forcing the use of polarized receptacles, also forcing the Neutral only to the dedicated neutral slot.
    – Chris Knudsen
    2 hours ago










  • @king arbitrary decisions become standards all the time.
    – Passerby
    2 hours ago














up vote
3
down vote

favorite












The wide prong is neutral on 15 amp US power outlets.



Is there a reason it was designed this way, or could the narrow slot just as easily have been neutral instead? Was this design decision arbitrary?






outlet power-grid







share|improve this question























  • There's really no such thing as arbitration in engineering otherwise a lot of people would get hurt using the products we design. I think it would be best if refer to NEMA Standards to kind of point you in the right direction.
    – KingDuken
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    @KingDuken Tell Ben Franklin before he arbitrarily decides the direction of "current"...
    – Elliot Alderson
    3 hours ago










  • @ElliotAlderson Well, at least we've been consistent LOL :)
    – KingDuken
    3 hours ago










  • without a definitive source - I suspect that polarized plugs came along after non-polarized versions. It makes sense to make one prong wider, forcing the use of polarized receptacles, also forcing the Neutral only to the dedicated neutral slot.
    – Chris Knudsen
    2 hours ago










  • @king arbitrary decisions become standards all the time.
    – Passerby
    2 hours ago












up vote
3
down vote

favorite









up vote
3
down vote

favorite











The wide prong is neutral on 15 amp US power outlets.



Is there a reason it was designed this way, or could the narrow slot just as easily have been neutral instead? Was this design decision arbitrary?






outlet power-grid







share|improve this question















The wide prong is neutral on 15 amp US power outlets.



Is there a reason it was designed this way, or could the narrow slot just as easily have been neutral instead? Was this design decision arbitrary?






outlet power-grid




outlet power-grid






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 21 mins ago

























asked 3 hours ago









rrauenza

1676




1676











  • There's really no such thing as arbitration in engineering otherwise a lot of people would get hurt using the products we design. I think it would be best if refer to NEMA Standards to kind of point you in the right direction.
    – KingDuken
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    @KingDuken Tell Ben Franklin before he arbitrarily decides the direction of "current"...
    – Elliot Alderson
    3 hours ago










  • @ElliotAlderson Well, at least we've been consistent LOL :)
    – KingDuken
    3 hours ago










  • without a definitive source - I suspect that polarized plugs came along after non-polarized versions. It makes sense to make one prong wider, forcing the use of polarized receptacles, also forcing the Neutral only to the dedicated neutral slot.
    – Chris Knudsen
    2 hours ago










  • @king arbitrary decisions become standards all the time.
    – Passerby
    2 hours ago
















  • There's really no such thing as arbitration in engineering otherwise a lot of people would get hurt using the products we design. I think it would be best if refer to NEMA Standards to kind of point you in the right direction.
    – KingDuken
    3 hours ago






  • 1




    @KingDuken Tell Ben Franklin before he arbitrarily decides the direction of "current"...
    – Elliot Alderson
    3 hours ago










  • @ElliotAlderson Well, at least we've been consistent LOL :)
    – KingDuken
    3 hours ago










  • without a definitive source - I suspect that polarized plugs came along after non-polarized versions. It makes sense to make one prong wider, forcing the use of polarized receptacles, also forcing the Neutral only to the dedicated neutral slot.
    – Chris Knudsen
    2 hours ago










  • @king arbitrary decisions become standards all the time.
    – Passerby
    2 hours ago















There's really no such thing as arbitration in engineering otherwise a lot of people would get hurt using the products we design. I think it would be best if refer to NEMA Standards to kind of point you in the right direction.
– KingDuken
3 hours ago




There's really no such thing as arbitration in engineering otherwise a lot of people would get hurt using the products we design. I think it would be best if refer to NEMA Standards to kind of point you in the right direction.
– KingDuken
3 hours ago




1




1




@KingDuken Tell Ben Franklin before he arbitrarily decides the direction of "current"...
– Elliot Alderson
3 hours ago




@KingDuken Tell Ben Franklin before he arbitrarily decides the direction of "current"...
– Elliot Alderson
3 hours ago












@ElliotAlderson Well, at least we've been consistent LOL :)
– KingDuken
3 hours ago




@ElliotAlderson Well, at least we've been consistent LOL :)
– KingDuken
3 hours ago












without a definitive source - I suspect that polarized plugs came along after non-polarized versions. It makes sense to make one prong wider, forcing the use of polarized receptacles, also forcing the Neutral only to the dedicated neutral slot.
– Chris Knudsen
2 hours ago




without a definitive source - I suspect that polarized plugs came along after non-polarized versions. It makes sense to make one prong wider, forcing the use of polarized receptacles, also forcing the Neutral only to the dedicated neutral slot.
– Chris Knudsen
2 hours ago












@king arbitrary decisions become standards all the time.
– Passerby
2 hours ago




@king arbitrary decisions become standards all the time.
– Passerby
2 hours ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
7
down vote













I think the logic is that it's more important that the neutral wire of some appliance never be connected to hot, than it is for the hot wire not to be connected to neutral.






share|improve this answer
















  • 1




    I like this answer. Instead of thinking of the polarization problem as "let's make a plug that can go in only one way" to instead "let's make sure the neutral can never go in the hot."
    – rrauenza
    59 mins ago

















up vote
-1
down vote













I don't know a definitive historical answer. From an electrical perspective there's no reason to prefer one over the other, at least once the connection is made.



There are two potential reasons I can think of:



1) If the plug is only partially inserted (or has been slowly falling out), the wider prong may be more likely to make contact. If only one of the two is connected, it's safer for it to be the neutral one.



2) If a child happens to pick up a paperclip or some other bit of metal and decides to stick it in the plug, there's a chance it will only fit in the larger of the two slots, or maybe psychologically they would tend to choose the larger of the two slots. Don't rely on this!






share|improve this answer
















  • 1




    1 doesn't make sense. The width would not make more contact. If that was the case, then it would be longer. And that's also why the ground pin on a grounded connector is longer than the hot/neutral.
    – Passerby
    1 hour ago










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2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes








2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes








up vote
7
down vote













I think the logic is that it's more important that the neutral wire of some appliance never be connected to hot, than it is for the hot wire not to be connected to neutral.






share|improve this answer
















  • 1




    I like this answer. Instead of thinking of the polarization problem as "let's make a plug that can go in only one way" to instead "let's make sure the neutral can never go in the hot."
    – rrauenza
    59 mins ago














up vote
7
down vote













I think the logic is that it's more important that the neutral wire of some appliance never be connected to hot, than it is for the hot wire not to be connected to neutral.






share|improve this answer
















  • 1




    I like this answer. Instead of thinking of the polarization problem as "let's make a plug that can go in only one way" to instead "let's make sure the neutral can never go in the hot."
    – rrauenza
    59 mins ago












up vote
7
down vote










up vote
7
down vote









I think the logic is that it's more important that the neutral wire of some appliance never be connected to hot, than it is for the hot wire not to be connected to neutral.






share|improve this answer












I think the logic is that it's more important that the neutral wire of some appliance never be connected to hot, than it is for the hot wire not to be connected to neutral.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 3 hours ago









Olin Lathrop

277k28330775




277k28330775







  • 1




    I like this answer. Instead of thinking of the polarization problem as "let's make a plug that can go in only one way" to instead "let's make sure the neutral can never go in the hot."
    – rrauenza
    59 mins ago












  • 1




    I like this answer. Instead of thinking of the polarization problem as "let's make a plug that can go in only one way" to instead "let's make sure the neutral can never go in the hot."
    – rrauenza
    59 mins ago







1




1




I like this answer. Instead of thinking of the polarization problem as "let's make a plug that can go in only one way" to instead "let's make sure the neutral can never go in the hot."
– rrauenza
59 mins ago




I like this answer. Instead of thinking of the polarization problem as "let's make a plug that can go in only one way" to instead "let's make sure the neutral can never go in the hot."
– rrauenza
59 mins ago












up vote
-1
down vote













I don't know a definitive historical answer. From an electrical perspective there's no reason to prefer one over the other, at least once the connection is made.



There are two potential reasons I can think of:



1) If the plug is only partially inserted (or has been slowly falling out), the wider prong may be more likely to make contact. If only one of the two is connected, it's safer for it to be the neutral one.



2) If a child happens to pick up a paperclip or some other bit of metal and decides to stick it in the plug, there's a chance it will only fit in the larger of the two slots, or maybe psychologically they would tend to choose the larger of the two slots. Don't rely on this!






share|improve this answer
















  • 1




    1 doesn't make sense. The width would not make more contact. If that was the case, then it would be longer. And that's also why the ground pin on a grounded connector is longer than the hot/neutral.
    – Passerby
    1 hour ago














up vote
-1
down vote













I don't know a definitive historical answer. From an electrical perspective there's no reason to prefer one over the other, at least once the connection is made.



There are two potential reasons I can think of:



1) If the plug is only partially inserted (or has been slowly falling out), the wider prong may be more likely to make contact. If only one of the two is connected, it's safer for it to be the neutral one.



2) If a child happens to pick up a paperclip or some other bit of metal and decides to stick it in the plug, there's a chance it will only fit in the larger of the two slots, or maybe psychologically they would tend to choose the larger of the two slots. Don't rely on this!






share|improve this answer
















  • 1




    1 doesn't make sense. The width would not make more contact. If that was the case, then it would be longer. And that's also why the ground pin on a grounded connector is longer than the hot/neutral.
    – Passerby
    1 hour ago












up vote
-1
down vote










up vote
-1
down vote









I don't know a definitive historical answer. From an electrical perspective there's no reason to prefer one over the other, at least once the connection is made.



There are two potential reasons I can think of:



1) If the plug is only partially inserted (or has been slowly falling out), the wider prong may be more likely to make contact. If only one of the two is connected, it's safer for it to be the neutral one.



2) If a child happens to pick up a paperclip or some other bit of metal and decides to stick it in the plug, there's a chance it will only fit in the larger of the two slots, or maybe psychologically they would tend to choose the larger of the two slots. Don't rely on this!






share|improve this answer












I don't know a definitive historical answer. From an electrical perspective there's no reason to prefer one over the other, at least once the connection is made.



There are two potential reasons I can think of:



1) If the plug is only partially inserted (or has been slowly falling out), the wider prong may be more likely to make contact. If only one of the two is connected, it's safer for it to be the neutral one.



2) If a child happens to pick up a paperclip or some other bit of metal and decides to stick it in the plug, there's a chance it will only fit in the larger of the two slots, or maybe psychologically they would tend to choose the larger of the two slots. Don't rely on this!







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 3 hours ago









Justin

3,2151022




3,2151022







  • 1




    1 doesn't make sense. The width would not make more contact. If that was the case, then it would be longer. And that's also why the ground pin on a grounded connector is longer than the hot/neutral.
    – Passerby
    1 hour ago












  • 1




    1 doesn't make sense. The width would not make more contact. If that was the case, then it would be longer. And that's also why the ground pin on a grounded connector is longer than the hot/neutral.
    – Passerby
    1 hour ago







1




1




1 doesn't make sense. The width would not make more contact. If that was the case, then it would be longer. And that's also why the ground pin on a grounded connector is longer than the hot/neutral.
– Passerby
1 hour ago




1 doesn't make sense. The width would not make more contact. If that was the case, then it would be longer. And that's also why the ground pin on a grounded connector is longer than the hot/neutral.
– Passerby
1 hour ago

















 

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