If you’ve been in the business of electricity for more than about a week then I’m sure you’ve heard the terms “Single phase” and “Three Phase”.

So, what do they mean?

A single-phase AC circuit has either one or two wires connected to the source of electricity. For 120 volts you have a “Hot” and a "neutral". The “hot” conductor is connected to the power source and the “neutral” or “grounded conductor” returns to the source.

For 240v you have two “hots” connected to the source. Even though you have two “hots”, it is still considered “single phase”.

So adding up the wires, you’ll have 2 hots and a neutral giving you a 120/240  single phase, 3 wire system.

So what about 3 phase?