the maths behind one phase of 415V 3 phase power being 240V and not whatever 415/3 is

Question

the maths behind one phase of 415V 3 phase power being 240V and not whatever 415/3 is

In: 16

Answer 1

1 phase power has an active at 240V and a neutral of 0V. This gives you 240V.

3 phase power has three 1 phase circuits combined, but instead of moving through the sine wave at the same time, they’re offset from each other by 1/3. So one peaks at 240, then the second, then the third and then back to the first.

The 415V isn’t measured between active and neutral like 1 phase, it’s measured between two of the phases. When you draw it out, you’ll see that the difference at any one point in time is 415V.