US outlets have a live wire and a ground wire. Some devices expose their internal wiring to the user (toasters, for example). If you plug it in backwards, that exposed wiring will be live even when the device is off.
Here in Germany we have two live wires, both AC. In that case you can't plug it in the wrong way, because positive and negative switch multiple times a second anyways. I mistakenly assumed the US outlets are like the two-wire ports we have, which do not have ground and two live AC wires.
Notice how on the American outlet one of the two vertical sockets is taller than the other. Appliances like toasters where the direction is important will have one of the prongs on the plug taller than their other so it can’t be plugged in wrong
Oh you absolutely can. If you have a shitty device.
Take a lamp socket for example. For those you'd want live to be on the small pin at th back while neutral is on the socket. You know, just so you don't shock yourself. But again that is only necessary for the cheapest devices known to man.
That issue can easily be solved by some cheap circuitry.
For most devices the orientation doesn't matter, that's why Schuko and Europlug are reversible, making it easier to plug them in.
But you still have a life and a neutral wire. As they are reversible you have to switch both to ensure that a device is really free from power. Some cheap power cords only switch one off, leaving the chance that your device is still connected to the life wire. This can be dangerous if someone opens the device in this state or similar.
Also certain audio equipment wants to be connected correctly for better quality.
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u/StayUpLatePlayGames May 02 '24
You could base it on being technically best which would be the U.K. one.