Three ways, the debate

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mbrooke said:
Why do we call a 2 way a 3 way?
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iwire said:
If we start debating that I am going to move it into its own thread.
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No debate is needed here. The word "way" is not describing how may "ways" you can move the switch handle. It is describing how many "pathways" current can take through the device (i.e., one way in and two ways out, or if you prefer, two ways in and one way out).

This is similar to the question I have heard asked concerning why we call the thing you click when you sit in the car a "seat belt." After all, it contacts your shoulder and your lap, but not your seat. My response to that is that the word "seat" is referring to the car's seat, and the belt keeps you from leaving that seat in the event of a crash.

 
charlie b said:


No debate is needed here. The word "way" is not describing how may "ways" you can move the switch handle. It is describing how many "pathways" current can take through the device (i.e., one way in and two ways out, or if you prefer, two ways in and one way out).

This is similar to the question I have heard asked concerning why we call the thing you click when you sit in the car a "seat belt." After all, it contacts your shoulder and your lap, but not your seat. My response to that is that the word "seat" is referring to the car's seat, and the belt keeps you from leaving that seat in the event of a crash.
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And in theory you still have two pathways through the switch itself, either through common and terminal 1 or common and terminal two. There is no 1 directly over to 2; or common-1-2 simultaneously. I can firmly stand by my assertion because in logic circuits use this same established terminology.

Also, if you Google "2 way switch" or "two way circuit" you get hits on what old timers call '3 way'

https://www.google.com/search?q=3+way+logic+circuit&biw=1120&bih=566&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjq5pX65oDRAhUC3mMKHUPSCDMQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=2+way+switch









 
The term 'way' means 'terminal' for the electrical switch's sake. 'Way' is also used to describe hydraulic valves. A valve with two ports that can either be N.C. or N.O. is called a 2 way valve. A three way valve has three ports, or 'ways' for fluid to move in and out of the valve.

I read long ago the term was borrowed from early map makers, where 'way' meant passage way or thorough way leading to a town or location.

Here is a link describing hydraulic valve configuration, reading through it may make the 'way' way of describing electrical switches make more sense.

http://www.omega.com/auto/pdf/SimpValvesGuide.pdf
 
K8MHZ said:
The term 'way' means 'terminal' for the electrical switch's sake. 'Way' is also used to describe hydraulic valves. A valve with two ports that can either be N.C. or N.O. is called a 2 way valve. A three way valve has three ports, or 'ways' for fluid to move in and out of the valve.

I read long ago the term was borrowed from early map makers, where 'way' meant passage way or thorough way leading to a town or location.

Here is a link describing hydraulic valve configuration, reading through it may make the 'way' way of describing electrical switches make more sense.

http://www.omega.com/auto/pdf/SimpValvesGuide.pdf
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Way in terms if passage means through, but that through has to be between point. The common is one point no matter what and your options of energy passage are either terminal one or terminal two.
 
mbrooke said:
Way in terms if passage means through, but that through has to be between point. The common is one point no matter what and your options of energy passage are either terminal one or terminal two.
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If a town has only three roads that lead from the outside world, it would be said that there are only three ways in or out of town, regardless of which is taken in or out.

A valve or a switch can be likened to a town and it's roads schematically, and it appears some of the terminology came from there.

But, the bottom line is that in switches and valves, 'way' has nothing to do with how many positions there are, it's all about how many 'connections' there are.
 
mbrooke said:
And in theory you still have two pathways through the switch itself. . . .
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I was not referring to a pathway THROUGH the switch, but rather a pathway that leads you TO the switch (or away FROM it). The word "way" means the same a "road," in this context. Ignore the switch for a moment, including everything that happens inside it. Think of driving on a road, and coming to a fork that requires you to choose to either take the left fork or the right fork. There are three roads, three "ways," that meet at one point (i.e., the switch).
mbrooke said:
Also, if you Google "2 way switch" or "two way circuit" you get hits on what old timers call '3 way'
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Someone asked why it is called a 3-way, and some old timer is answering that question. :happyyes:
 
Who installs one right-side up and one up-side down so that both switches can be in the off position when they are both in the "off" position?
 
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