alt Hacker News> When the system is AC ground makes no difference.
With AC it's about where the ground is attached along the length of the transformer secondary. In the EU they ground one of the ends of the secondary, in the US we ground the center point.
I don't get to say this very often ... but the US way is objectively safer with no downside: 99% of human shocks are via ground, and it halves the voltage to ground (120V vs 240V). A neutral isn't required if there aren't 120V loads.
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crote • yesterday at 7:35 PM
In the EU it is quite common for houses to have three-phase power. If you squint a bit, the grounded neutral of the Y transformer isn't entirely unlike the grounded center tap in the US. The voltage is a lot higher, of course!
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I agree that the US voltage is safer (with the tradeoff of lower output powers available at your outlets). However, I suspect this is more than negated by the US plug design, which carries a much larger risk of shocks than almost all EU plug designs (Schuko, British/Type G, etc...)
- uninsulated metal pins make contact with supply while partially exposed - much smaller distance between metal pins and the edge of the plug