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Warmstar219 t1_j1hwloy wrote

Reply to comment by MyOtherAcctsAPorsche in Can I install this single pole switch in place of the dimmer switch that was here? by Affectionate_Cronut

Solid core, while less flexible, has a lower surface area. Firstly, this makes them more resistant to corrosion. Second, they have a lower "dissipation", or voltage drop for a given length, as the skin effect in multiple strands increases impedance. Overall, this makes solid core less likely to fail and cause fires in static applications like home wiring.

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brotherm00se t1_j1i9fax wrote

skin depth is a function of frequency, not cross sectional area.

the reason stranded conductors have higher impedance at the same guage is because they have a smaller cross sectional area.

to illustrate: a pile of smaller circles can never completely fill a circle.

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Warmstar219 t1_j1idklz wrote

Yeah, that's more or less what I was trying to say. Not that the skin depth is different, but the way it's distributed in space is different in stranded, especially at higher frequency. E.g. http://www.bdloops.com/solid_vs_stranded_loop_wire.html

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ZAFJB t1_j1ie1w4 wrote

Skin effect utterly meaningless at low voltages in domestic and industrial systems. It is only significant in very high voltage long distance reticulation.

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