Final answer:
An ungrounded conductor is referred to as the Hot or Live conductor; it carries voltage unlike the grounded neutral conductor, which is safe to touch and at zero volts relative to earth.
Step-by-step explanation:
An ungrounded conductor is commonly referred to as the Hot or Live conductor. Unlike the neutral wire, which is grounded and has a low-resistance path to the earth, making it safe to touch and at zero volts relative to the earth, a hot wire is not grounded and carries voltage.
Grounding is the process of creating a low-resistance path to the earth, allowing the conductor to be at zero volts relative to the earth, which is why the neutral wire can sometimes be referred to as the grounded conductor. The live or hot wire provides the voltage and current necessary to power appliances and fixtures in an electrical system.
The neutral wire acts as the return path for current and the grounding connections provide an additional layer of safety by ensuring that any conductive parts that people might touch are kept at zero volts.