What are the prongs for in a 3 prong plug?

Answer by  willard (874)

Two of the prongs in a three prong plug are for the electric current to travel to and from the appliance that is plugged in. (There needs to be a complete, closed circuit through which the current can flow. ) The third prong of the plug is to ground the circuit.

Answer by  MikeMcStudly (35)

The two flat blades on a plug you can think of as a two way street, with traffic going both directions. The third prong at the bottom is called a ground, which allows for unpredictable or overloaded electricity to be bypassed from the electrical wiring and dispersed, typically into the ground.

Answer by  DrHarris (508)

The left, larger prong is the "neutral" lead, and the right smaller prong is the "hot" lead. Between these flow a positive voltage from neutral to hot. The smaller circular prong is the connection to ground, for stabilization.

Answer by  Liz59 (10966)

Well the prongs actually hold the plug in place and provide the electricity that is needed to generate the plug.

Answer by  GilFinn (2065)

The 3 prongs are for "Line", "Load", and "Ground". Power comes in the via the Line prong, through the item powered, and out the Load prong to complete the circuit. And the ground prong provides a safe path for the item powered the circuit should there be a short in the circuit.

Answer by  JRossi17 (788)

The two smaller plugs are for positive and negative. The big plug at the bottom is a larger ground to support a larger device. This is to protect someone from touching the product and getting electricuted from excessive ground. The bigger the appliance the bigger the plug. It only takes. 08 amps to kill someone.

Answer by  John (9008)

The two flat prongs are just like those found on a two prong plug. They let electricity flow. The large, rounded prong is to ground the line. Grounding gives the electricty somewhere to go in the event of a power surge or problem with the appliance. Usually, large or sensitive devices use three prong plugs.