What’s the difference between single and three phase?

Question

Please explain the difference between single phase and three phase. I’ve tried to figure it out but I can’t get a grasp of it.

In: Physics

Answer 1

if speaking about electricity, single phase uses only two wires, a load-bearing phase wire and a return wire and usually operates around 240V. It’s cheaper and more efficient for things that require less power. A three phase uses 3 wires with alternating current and a fourth that remains neutral / depending on the configuration you may need the ground wire. Three phase costs much more to repair but that’s about all I know