In electrical wiring, what is the difference between the neutral and the ground?
The ground is connected to the ground and the neutral is not. The ground wire ensures that in case of a leakage a connected appliance does not acquire a voltage that might cause injury or malfunction. The live terminal is the one to which the voltage is connected. It appears that there should be no separate identification of the live and neutral terminals when you are dealing with ac current. However for reasons of safety and connecting electrical networks it becomes prudent to do so.
