Along with live wire and neutral wire, a third wire is also used in domestic electric wiring. What name is given to this third wire?

The electric power line enters our house through three wires- namely the live wire, the neutral wire and the earth wire.

To avoid confusion between these three wires, we follow different colour code to insulate these wires. This colour coding of wires helps us to connect the switches, plugs and other electrical components through the appropriate wire in the home wiring circuit.

In old convention, the red wire is the live wire, the black wire is neutral and the earth wire is given green insulation.

In new convention, the brown wire is the live wire, the light blue wire is neutral and the earth wire is given green-yellow insulation.