How does grounding work when a lamp has a 2-prong plug?
This is a great question because most electric things we have in our houses to day have 2-prong plugs. The answer is: 2-prong plugs and 2-hole receptacles provide NO GROUNDING PROTECTION. Many pieces of electrical equipment manufactured today have no exposed metal parts and are constructed to prevent users from touching live parts. Properly constructed table lamps and the like should have “polarized” plugs. The larger prong is inserted into the larger hole in the receptacle and connects with the “neutral” wire. The smaller prong connects to the “hot” wire. Inside the lamp, the neutral connects to the threaded shell that you screw your lightbulb into. The hot connects to the little tab in the bottom of the lightbulb socket and is harder to reach with a finger. This arrangement lessens the chance that you will touch a hot part of the lamp and risk getting shocked. Whenever any electrical equipment, from a vacuum cleaner to a drill or a lamp, has a 3-prong plug, you need a 3-hole, grounde
