Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.
In normal operating conditions, whenever there is a load on the circuit, the white wire - which is called the "neutral" - returns the current coming out of the load back to the power station.
The "hot" wire supplies the current coming from the power station to the load.
In residential wiring, convention is that the black wire is "hot" and the white wire is "neutral". This means that, if the circuit is wired correctly - and there is no fault in the circuit - the white wire should not have any potential difference (voltage) relative to ground.
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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
You have a 3 way switch. Your black wire is the hot wire. Your green wire is the ground wire. Your red and white wires go to the light and other switch. You should have gotten a wiring diagram with your switch.
If the house wiring does not have a white wire, you can cap off the white wire from the track light with a wire nut and electrical tape if necessary. The white wire is typically used as the neutral wire, but if it's not present in your house wiring, capping it off safely will ensure the track light functions correctly with the available black and green wires.
Red, white, and black are standard for a three-way switch (you have two switches that control the same fixture). You should also have a ground wire (copper, unsheathed). The black and red are negative, while the white is positive. It works pretty simply. When the switch is up, the black and white are linked, creating a circuit. When it is down, the red and white are linked. If both switches agree (both are red/white or both are black/white), then the circuit is completed and power flows.
The green or bare wire is typically the ground wire for a dryer plug. If your wires are black, white, and red, the white wire is usually neutral, the black is hot, and the red is also hot. You should double check with a voltage tester to be certain.
In standard residential wiring, the black wire is typically the hot wire, regardless of whether it is striped or solid. The white wire is the neutral wire, and the green or bare wire is the ground wire. It is important to consult a professional electrician or local electrical codes for specific wiring configurations.
The black wire is typically hot, while the white wire is neutral.
The black wire is considered hot.
In a standard electrical wiring setup, the black wire is typically the hot wire, while the white wire is the neutral wire.
In electrical wiring, the black wire is typically the hot wire.
In an electrical circuit, the black wire is typically the hot wire.
The black wire is typically the hot wire in a standard electrical wiring setup.
In an electrical circuit, the black wire is typically considered hot.
In an electrical circuit, the black wire is typically considered hot.
The black wire is typically considered the hot wire in electrical wiring.
the black wire is the hot wire
You have a 3 way switch. Your black wire is the hot wire. Your green wire is the ground wire. Your red and white wires go to the light and other switch. You should have gotten a wiring diagram with your switch.
If this is a home wiring question and the wires are black and white then black is Hot and white is Neutral. If you also have a red wire, it is the other hot wire, and either the black or the red wire to the white one would be 120 volts, and red to black would be 240 volts.