In a wye connection, how does the phase voltage compare to the winding voltage?

In a wye (or star) connection, the phase voltage is less than the line voltage by a factor of the square root of three, which is approximately 1.732.

In a wye configuration, each winding is connected from a phase (line) to a common neutral point. The winding voltage (line voltage) is the voltage measured between any two lines in the system, while the phase voltage is the voltage across each individual winding. The relationship between these voltages is defined by the equation:

[ V_{line} = \sqrt{3} \times V_{phase} ]

Thus, rearranging this relationship gives:

[ V_{phase} = \frac{V_{line}}{\sqrt{3}} ]

Consequently, this illustrates that the phase voltage is indeed less than the winding (line) voltage by the factor of 1.732. Understanding this relationship is crucial for analyzing three-phase systems and their performance in electrical engineering contexts.