Origins of Terms

[megloff11x]

Does anyone know the origin/history of the following terms in their electrical sense:

Crowbar

Bolted Fault

Neutral

Line

Phase

Dike/Dyke (the pliers)

And feel free to add to the list if you have others.

Who first gave the condition/item its name? What is the backstory? Why did they pick that name? Did it have another name before?

I remember reading a discussion of the phrase "hoist on his own petard," which basically means a victim of your own method of attack, similar to shooting yourself in the foot. There were several different historical origins of the phrase presented.

We have a great deal of electrical terminology in use, and the origins, especially of some of the slang, has faded.

Matt

 

[charlie b]

I am reasonably certain that "dikes" is a shorthand version of "diagonal cutters."

I suspect that "phase" came from the notion that different phases (i.e., the three ungrounded conductors in a three-phase system) are out of phase from each other by 120 degrees. In this sense, "phase" relates to the mathematical term "phase angle."

A "bolted fault" would be the limiting condition of a short circuit between phases. It is limiting in the sense that we can presume that the electrical connection is not a brief glancing touching of conductors. If we firmly attach two conductors, and then turn on power, then the two conductors will stay connected, and the event will not be terminated by the two conductors being pushed apart from each other. Thus, the fault current will continue to flow until some overcurrent protection device does its thing. This means that a maximum amount of energy is passed through the fault point, and that is what makes it a limiting condition.


I do not know the origin of the other terms.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Here is a link to the term crowbar and the false stories of it's origin. It had nothing to do with racism--- read on

http://www.snopes.com/language/offense/crowbar.asp

 

[cadpoint]

Here's a site I ran across

Here's a site I ran across

These are old names for pole insulators

http://www.insulators.com/general/glossary/#index

I understand that some of these are worth some $ too.

I like the O'Brien ... CD 119. :roll:

 

[George Stolz]

I've deleted a couple posts (and probably am buying the beer next Tuesday on account of it ), let's keep it clean fellas.