Final answer:
Grounding is connecting a conductor to the earth to maintain a zero volt potential for safety, while bonding involves connecting conductive parts to maintain the same electrical potential to prevent shocks. Both are critical for electrical safety.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Grounding and Bonding
Grounding is an electrical process where a conductor is connected to the earth with a good conductor to fix its potential at zero volts. This is crucial for safety to ensure that in the event of a fault, like a short circuit, there is a path for the electrical current to be safely directed to the ground. An example of grounding could be the grounded metal case of an appliance, which is designed to protect users from electrical shock. The person touching a grounded case is significantly safer than touching an ungrounded metal case during a fault condition.
Bonding, often mentioned alongside grounding, refers to the practice of connecting all the conductive parts (which might include electrical enclosures, frames of electric equipment, or other conductive paths) so they are at the same electrical potential, with the aim of preventing a potential electric shock from voltage differences between conductive surfaces.
In summary, both grounding and bonding are essential safety mechanisms employed in electrical installations to protect against electric shock and to ensure the safe operation of electrical systems. Failure to appropriately ground and bond electrical systems can result in dangerous situations, including the risk of electric shock, appliance damage, or even fire.