When two are enough, then why have a third pin in the plug? Very few people know the correct answer

Have you ever looked at the plug carefully? Most electric plugs have three pins – two large and one small. But the question is that electricity works with only two wires – one phase and one neutral. Then why is the third pin inserted? Is this just design or is there some special reason for this? Today we understand this very thing.

Actually, the basic work of electricity is done with two pins only. The phase wire carries electricity to the appliance and the neutral wire carries it back. With this, fan, light, TV everything works. But in nature electricity does not always travel through a straight path. Sometimes current ‘leaks’. Meaning, if there is any fault in the equipment, some part of the electricity reaches the metal part of the equipment.

If you touch that equipment you may get a shock. This is the biggest danger. Here the third pin comes in handy. It is called earthing pin or ground pin. It connects the equipment to ground. Earthing means providing a safe path for electricity. When current leaks, this third pin sends that electricity directly to the ground. Ground is the best conductor of electricity.

The current immediately drops, leaving the metal part of the device no longer electrical.

outcome?
You don’t get shocked. Suppose your electric iron has broken down. Any wiring inside became loose or burnt. Now the live current (phase) of electricity has reached the metal body outside the iron. That means the entire metal body of the iron has now become live.

If there were only two pins, you would get electrocuted as soon as you held the iron. But due to the third pin, the current goes to the ground and the MCB or fuse of the house gets tripped immediately. The power cuts and you are saved.

Two pin plugs are less safe
Nowadays, earthing is necessary in most of the household appliances – washing machine, refrigerator, microwave, geyser. Devices with older two-pin plugs are less used now because they are less secure. In a three-pin plug, the smaller pin is also slightly longer so that the earthing is connected first when the plug is inserted and disconnected last when removed. This small design is also for safety.

Some people think that ‘nothing ever happens in my house’. But the game of power is very delicate. The risk increases when it rains, old wiring or touching the equipment with wet hands. That’s why three pins are kept in every modern plug – not just for work, but to save life.

The government and electrical standards also consider the three-pin plug mandatory so that every citizen remains safe. Next time you plug in, don’t ignore that little third pin. He is the silent guardian of your security.