Why is a larger gauge smaller than the diameter?

Why is a larger gauge smaller than the diameter?

When the quality and consistency of the material increased, it became possible to draw thinner wire with still higher gauge numbers. This explains why most gauges have higher gauge numbers for smaller sizes. When steam and waterpower became available for drawing, it became possible to start with thicker wires.

When using AWG the larger the number the larger the diameter of the wire?

AWG or American Wire Gauge is the US standard measure for the diameter of electrical conductors. The American Wire Gauge chart is based on the number of dies originally required to draw the copper down to the required dimensional size. It means the higher the AWG number is, the smaller the wire diameter is.

Why is lower gauge thicker?

The thickness of metal cable, rod and sheet stock is measured in gauge, and gauge refers back to a system in which the physical properties actually decrease as the rating number increases. It’s uncommon knowledge! The concept makes sense but without explanation, the converse number is often confusing.

How does gauge size work?

“Here [in the U.S.] it’s measured by gauge.” Gauge sizes work in reverse, meaning that the higher the number, the thinner the width. So higher numbers (like 16 gauge) are thinner than smaller numbers (like a 6 gauge). When discussing gauges, references to a “larger gauge” means bigger around, not a bigger number.

Why do gauges go down?

The explanation goes back to the original process of wire drawing. The number of times a wire is drawn and stretched relates to the numerical value given to the wire gauge. The drawing and stretching decreases the physical size of the wire making it longer and thinner.

Why does gauge decrease?

Beyond international standards, another source of confusion is why wire gauge sizes appear to be backwards of what they should be—as the physical width of the gauge increases the numerical value assigned to it decreases. The drawing and stretching decreases the physical size of the wire making it longer and thinner.

What does wire gauge affect?

The most basic explanation on why wire gauge matters is because the thinner a wire is (higher gauge) the more resistance there will be to the flow of current. More resistance means more energy loss, which means weaker/less reliable detections.

What does the wire size gauge number mean?

In general a wire size gauge number corresponds to the number of operations involved in drawing a wire, a larger figure representing more operations resulting in a smaller diameter. http://www.tfcbooks.com/teslafaq/q&a_044.htm

What happens when you reduce the current in smaller gauge wires?

By reducing the current in smaller gauged wires there is a decrease in the amperage that can be handled. If you are interested in designing your own wire harnesses check out our new Wire Harness Estimator to get a quote!

What is the effect of wire drawing on current?

Also, like taffy pulling wire drawing stretches and decreases the physical size of the wire making it longer and thinner. The process of wire drawing and decreasing the gauge of a wire also reduces the current that is traveling through the wire.

What is the physical size of a wire?

The physical size of a wire is defined by the number of operations that it takes to get it to that physical size. This process means that a 30 gauge wire is much smaller in size than a 0 gauge wire. This process is called “Wire Drawing” and it looks like Figure 1.2.