A technician measures voltage at a standard 120V receptacle and gets 120V between hot and neutral, but 0V between neutral and ground, and 60V between hot and ground. What is the most likely fault?
Answers
AThe equipment grounding conductor is open or floating
BThe receptacle is wired correctly
CThere is a direct short between hot and neutral
DThe hot and neutral wires are reversed
Correct answer: A — The equipment grounding conductor is open or floating
If the ground is floating (open), capacitive coupling can cause the hot-to-ground voltage to read arbitrarily (often around half voltage, like 60V) with a high-impedance digital multimeter.
MIFOTRA exam practicealigned to NFPA 70 / IEC 60364·3 marks·Medium