They were flipped to ensure the ground that protects users of appliances by making sure the ground is always connected should the cord be partially angled to disconnect the top of the plug. With the ground on top the first conductor that will get disconnected should the plug partially fall oit would be the ground. Leaving the cord live with no ground protection on the appliance to protect the user.
That looks sketchy AF, either way up to be honest. That said, I can think of one valid reason for wanting the two flat prongs at the top: gravity pulls down on the cord, so you want as many friction points above it to prevent it from falling out of the socket, i.e., two prongs vs one earth prong. The other problem here is that US cables need to be twice as thick because they carry twice the amount of electrical current than in countries where mains voltage is 230 V, which only exacerbates the problem since cables will be heavier. The safest plug is undeniably the ridiculously over-engineered UK plug.
They were flipped to ensure the ground that protects users of appliances by making sure the ground is always connected should the cord be partially angled to disconnect the top of the plug. With the ground on top the first conductor that will get disconnected should the plug partially fall oit would be the ground. Leaving the cord live with no ground protection on the appliance to protect the user.
That looks sketchy AF, either way up to be honest. That said, I can think of one valid reason for wanting the two flat prongs at the top: gravity pulls down on the cord, so you want as many friction points above it to prevent it from falling out of the socket, i.e., two prongs vs one earth prong. The other problem here is that US cables need to be twice as thick because they carry twice the amount of electrical current than in countries where mains voltage is 230 V, which only exacerbates the problem since cables will be heavier. The safest plug is undeniably the ridiculously over-engineered UK plug.
Safest is the residential way where the ground is protected and stay connected if the plug falls out.
Little more research next time.
Indeed junk like the inch, miles, lbs....
Safest is the residential way where the ground is protected and stay connected if the plug falls out.
Little more research next time.