The live wire in an AC electrical circuit refers to the wire (in a single-phase system) which carries an oscillating voltage with respect to the earth. The neutral wire is usually maintained at or near the earth potential, though this is not always the case, such as during a fault situation.
The international standard colour for the live wire is brown, which is in use in modern wiring in the EU and Australia. Other countries may use non-standard colours; for example, red was the previous standard in the UK, and is still commonly found on older wiring.
See also
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