0:03

Hey, hey, ho, ho. This is the HVAC

0:05

School Podcast, and I am Brian, and this

0:07

is a short episode and we're talking about

0:09

AWG, otherwise known as American Wire Gauge, and

0:12

its history. Now, I've repeated something a

0:15

long time and I don't know if it's true

0:17

or not, and I still haven't been able to

0:19

fully confirm it. It seems like it's partially true

0:21

at least, and that's what we're going to talk about,

0:23

AWG in the history of American

0:25

Wire Gauge. That up

0:28

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itself. Before. The Eighteenth

2:34

century. or says in the Eighteenth century.

2:37

So the seventeen Hundreds. Wires

2:39

that were used for all kinds of different things were

2:41

just. Nonstandard. I mean I

2:43

just use any measurement news you wanted and

2:45

they would say things like Pearson or Pencil

2:47

Thakur. Whatever it was like were foot came

2:49

from Erie decide their own different way of

2:52

describing things. And it wasn't that important. But.

2:54

Some a cheney asleep sensing

2:57

telegraph and electrical wires started

2:59

coming out and and eighteen

3:01

thirty six a standard called

3:03

the Birmingham Wire Gauge or

3:06

beat abuse. He emerged in

3:08

England and it had a

3:10

numbering system for wire diameters

3:13

that was apparently used. Pretty

3:16

much concurrently between telegraph wires and

3:18

fencing is kind of hard to

3:20

tell which came first. But.

3:23

I heard that sensing him first and I will tell

3:25

you at least the legend whether it's true or not.

3:28

Begins. Eight of eg, or American

3:30

were gauges what we use Now we

3:33

sit a gauge of wire that started

3:35

in eighteen fifty seven from the American

3:37

Telegraph Company. They're the ones who are

3:40

at least credited historically with coming up

3:42

with American market because it's very important

3:44

and telegraph telephone and electrical transmission that

3:46

you get the wires consistent mystery of

3:49

of actually do some math. The

3:51

here's the sun saying her fun and have

3:53

fun or not. But the interesting thing about

3:55

a deputy. Is it. It

3:57

is a logarithmic scale. Me:

4:00

Needed each time a gauge number goes

4:02

up. He. Represents roughly a

4:04

twenty percent increase in diameter

4:07

Next. To. The next highest number.

4:09

And. Was interesting about that is that

4:11

those scale So the differences in scale

4:13

as you go up from fourteen to

4:15

twelve and again also to see it

4:17

now and the case of Ctbt the

4:19

lower the number to the bigger the

4:21

wire. Scan Frustrating when you

4:24

get to a certain size, can't really use

4:26

that same game or that's why they say

4:28

like off wire will be like asked to

4:30

out wire that's to zeroes and that's actually

4:32

to not wire Zero is not. So when

4:34

they say to ot wire that's to not

4:36

wire and his goofy is basically going into

4:38

multiple heroes at that point so maxes. Sort

4:40

of a silly stale, but we stuck with

4:42

it. But what's interesting about it is it's

4:44

it. Roughly twenty percent increase. So.

4:47

Logarithmic scales mean that it has

4:49

this exponential aspect to it because

4:51

it's in proportion to the prior

4:53

number. it's not a six amount.

4:55

so when he sings the they

4:57

heard recently and as as as

4:59

a complete a cyber death that

5:02

you might find it interesting is

5:04

that humans our brains are actually

5:06

wired to observe proportionality more than

5:08

they are to actually represent discrete

5:10

number set. So as an example.

5:12

A lot of times when kids before they're taught

5:15

math. But they can recognize

5:17

patterns. And. You ask them to

5:19

find the number that's directly between

5:21

one and nine, rather than saying

5:23

five. Often say three. And

5:26

the reason is is because it again this is when

5:28

you see sets of things because his are thinking in

5:30

terms of numbers. But. What's interesting about

5:32

that is that obviously basic math that's not

5:34

the middle number, but logarithmic. li it is

5:36

the middle number. And if you think about

5:38

it because there's three ones are three. And.

5:41

There's three threes in the nine. Sunni.

5:43

Think of sets of things and

5:45

of proportionality. It's care how that works. So

5:47

anyway, in terms of A D B D is. It. Just

5:49

helps because it makes of a little easier. When.

5:52

Comparing one size aware to the next to

5:54

calculate were resistance, current carrying capacity, All that.

5:56

That's when they started doing it. But it

5:58

is a logarithmic scale similar to you the

6:01

Richter scale and Earthquakes Richter scale. A logarithmic

6:03

scale. The difference between a seven in an

6:05

eight on the Richter scale nodded. Ever seen

6:07

the two or three on the Richter scale?

6:10

Said. He the. Back. To a legend

6:12

here though the legend that I heard and I'm not sure who

6:14

told me you might have been Daves Barefoot. So many things were

6:16

told to me by they were put maybe was my grandpa. Was.

6:19

That actually the lights and the use.

6:22

Sensing. Wire as current carrying and so

6:24

maybe it's most. it would use Coppers, one

6:26

of the stringers, and offense or whatever, but

6:28

at least the I was told it. Sometimes

6:31

they would actually just use the fence as

6:33

the current current conductor, which I can't imagine

6:35

would have been a very good conductor, but

6:37

maybe sometimes on farms or whatever. who knows

6:40

and that's why they started using it at

6:42

the same time or the way I was

6:44

sort of. They used for prints were first

6:46

now, apparently historically based on my research Truth

6:48

or American Telegraph Company that used at first.

6:51

But. It's hard to tell because they

6:53

essentially fencing and electrical wires are using

6:55

is about the same time. And so

6:57

a twelve eight of eg. fence wire.

7:00

Heavy duty sense wire is gonna be the

7:02

same as a number twelve wire and your

7:04

house. Which. I think's interesting is

7:06

that same logarithmic scale. Now another interesting

7:08

thing you may want to know well

7:10

from alcohol and scene is but a

7:12

lot of places they're now going around

7:14

the world are going to a metric

7:16

system. Of course they are right and

7:18

so this metric system actually is not

7:20

fully or logarithmic in I don't really

7:22

understand exonerate math honestly but. It

7:25

is a route ten

7:27

progression. Whatever. That means

7:29

between different sizes I know a base

7:31

ten means and I know it means

7:33

that each size has roughly ten times

7:35

the cross sectional area of the next

7:37

smaller size. But what is that Billie

7:40

mean ten times Crosses animal been a

7:42

way that standard is called. I.

7:44

E C. Sixty. Two

7:46

to eight. And. you're gonna see

7:48

that more more which is essentially square

7:51

millimeters of cross sectional area that's what

7:53

those numbers are and metrics or for

7:55

now we have good all logarithmic a

7:57

to be g same were used for

7:59

making jewelry, same wire

8:02

you're using in various sound

8:04

systems and aerospace and automotive

8:06

and electrical and fences

8:09

all use good old AWG, which

8:11

apparently stems back to 1857 or If

8:15

you want to go all the way back to the Birmingham wire gauge,

8:18

I don't know how useful that is to you, but

8:20

I at least found it interesting and

8:23

interesting is good enough for me sometimes. All

8:25

right. Thanks for listening. We'll talk

8:27

to you next time on the

8:30

HVAC School Podcast.