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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · Wiring, Protection and Safety

Wire

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

/waɪər/nounCore term

In electrical & electronics engineering, wire means: A single conductor, usually copper, often covered with insulation. A cable is several insulated wires grouped together inside an outer sheath.

In Turkish: kablo, tel, iletken

How it is used

Used as a noun and a verb: you wire a panel, wire up a circuit, strip a wire or crimp it. Wire size is given in mm² in Turkey and Europe and in AWG in the US. Common terms are live wire, ground wire, solid wire and stranded wire.

Example sentences

  1. Use 2.5 mm² wire for the socket circuits.

  2. One of the wires came loose from the terminal and the machine stopped.

Common collocations

  • strip a wire
  • stranded wire
  • live wire
  • wire size
  • wire up
  • insulationNon-conducting material, such as PVC or rubber, that covers conductors and keeps current where it should be. Good insulation protects people from shock and prevents short circuits.
  • groundThe common reference point of a circuit, taken as 0 V, or a safety connection to the earth. In electronics it is marked GND; in installations it is the protective earth conductor.
  • neutralThe conductor that carries current back to the source in an AC system and is normally close to earth potential. In IEC wiring it is blue; in North America it is white.
  • voltage dropThe reduction in voltage along a conductor or across a component as current flows through it. In long cables it means the load receives less voltage than the source supplies.
  • wiring diagramA drawing that shows the physical connections of an installation or machine: which wire goes to which terminal, with wire numbers, colors and connector pins.

More terms: Wiring, Protection and Safety

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