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Hobby Corner |
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Three Switches on One Light -- How does it Work?
| OK, I understand how
a staircase or hallway with Two
light switches works, but Three? Have you ever wondered how it works? Well, see for yourself. |
| Just look at the interactive drawing below. At the
top are three wall light switches and a ceiling light. On the bottom is a schematic diagram of the circuit. We start with all three switches down and the light on. Now, click on an end switch button, it works just like the two switch circuit. The trick is the middle switch. Now click it. The two wires are now swapped and the 'sense' of the two end switches is reversed. This type of switch is called a reversing switch. Try to trace the path from the "plug" to the light bulb. When the light is on, the path is highlighted in red. |
