What is the difference between hot, neutral, and ground wires?
When connected properly, these wires serve different functions, as follows. Hot (“live”) wires provide a circuit’s path between the breaker and any lights or appliances. Neutral wires provide the rest of the path, that is, the path between these same lights or appliances and the panel’s grounded neutral bar. The ground wires, like neutrals, are connected to the grounding point in the panel, but they are not supposed to carry current under normal conditions. In an abnormal condition like the hot shorting to metal parts nearby, the ground wire is meant (by its attachment to such metal) to carry a great amount of current suddenly, so as to trip the hot’s breaker and stop the condition. More.
