Tell us why you think it is.

 

It's because.... Oh, wait, not me.. Him!:laughing::laughing:

Hint... Where was it placed?

 

Think, phase angle.

 

Current cancellation, or more exactly opposite magnetic fields of equal magnitude cancel each other out. The reason why your wiring should have no crossed circuits or standing ground faults.

 

Hint: how does a clamp-on ammeter work?

 

Figure out how to draw the sine wave pattern of current through both the hot conductor and the neutral. Then draw that. Then imagine what would your meter would read if you clamped both the hot and neutral at the same time. This simple exercise might give you your answer.

 

The answer is zero because you have the amp-meter circling both conductors. Wrap it around only one of the conductors and you will read the current on that conductor.

The reason you read 0 when around 2 conductors is that each conductor is carrying the same amount of current and the magnetic fields they generate (that's how an amp-meter reads the current, using the magnetic fields) cancel each other since the current is traveling in the opposite direction from the other conductor, therefore no magnetic field detected.

 

All good answers but the best one was figure it out.

Read current on the hot/energized conductor, read current on the neutral conductor what are the two readings?

Then by deduction try and ascertain the answer.

 

With analog amprobes I would always get exact same readings on both sides of a circuit. Using my Flukes it would usually differ by around .1 amp. Sometimes fluctuating a bit. I don't believe it is because of better accuracy, I think old ghosty's are present in digital amp readings as well as voltage ones. So who cares?

Anybody trying to trouble shoot out afci false trip issues should be aware , since an unbalance in actual current of .1 amps would throw off the older afci's with the gfi component built into them. I learned to pull out my old Sperry amprobe for that test, and it lead to quick discernment of actual cause of issue, especially if a continuity test would not ring the bell.

 

What kind of ammeter is this. Everyone is assuming it is a clamp on.

The answer would still be zero with a wired ammeter if you connected it across the hot and neutral. That is because that way it would be in parallel with the load. An ammeter has to be wired in series with the load.

 

Actually you would create an almost dead short and so you would read a very high current for a very short time until the fuse or breaker in the panel blew, the fuse in the meter blew, or the meter blew up in your hand (which is why we are required to use fused leads now).

 

Since the answer has been given, I'll go ahead and say that there are a few electrical laws that are the cause of this effect.

1.) Ampere's Law: A flowing current will produce a magnetic field
2.) Faraday's Law: A change in flux induces a current in nearby conductors
3.) Kirchoff's Current Law: The current in a series circuit is the same at all points

Have fun!

 

More importantly what direction is the magnetic field at any moment.