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Gender of connectors and fasteners

In electrical Electricity

Electricity is a general term for the variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge [i] ... 

 and mechanical Machine

A machine is any mechanical [i] or organic [i] device that transmits or modif ... 

 trades and manufacturing, each of a pair of mating connectors Electrical connector

An electrical connector is a device for joining electrical circuit [i]s together. ... 

 or fastener Fastener

A fastener is a hardware [i] device that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together. ... 

s is conventionally assigned the designation male or female. The assignment is by direct analogy Analogy

Analogy is either the cognitive [i] process of transferring information [i] from a particular ... 

 with genitalia; the part bearing one or more protrusions, or which fits inside the other, being designated male Malé

Mal , population 81,647 , is the capital [i] of the Republic of Maldives [i]. ... 

 and the part containing the corresponding indentations or fitting outside the other being female Female

Female is the sex [i] of an organism [i], or a part of an organism, which produces ova [i] . ... 

. The terms "slot", "socket", "receptacle", "outlet" and "jack" are often used for "female" connectors, and "plug" or "pin" for "male" connectors.

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Encyclopedia

In electrical Electricity

Electricity is a general term for the variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge [i] ... 

 and mechanical Machine

A machine is any mechanical [i] or organic [i] device that transmits or modif... 

 trades and manufacturing, each of a pair of mating connectors Electrical connector

An electrical connector is a device for joining electrical circuit [i]s together. ... 

 or fastener Fastener

A fastener is a hardware [i] device that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together.
... 

s is conventionally assigned the designation male or female. The assignment is by direct analogy Analogy

Analogy is either the cognitive [i] process of transferring information [i] from a particular... 

 with genitalia; the part bearing one or more protrusions, or which fits inside the other, being designated male Malé

Mal , population 81,647 , is the capital [i] of the Republic of Maldives [i]. ... 

and the part containing the corresponding indentations or fitting outside the other being female Female

Female is the sex [i] of an organism [i], or a part of an organism, which produces ova [i] . ... 

.




The terms "slot", "socket", "receptacle", "outlet" and "jack" are often used for "female" connectors, and "plug" or "pin" for "male" connectors. In many cases these terms are more common than male and female, especially in documentation intended for the non-specialist. It also causes a fair amount of confusion when those names are shortened in labels. For example, the male component of an HD15 connector can be named either HD15M or HD15P , both of which mean the same thing but could be confused for different items when there is no accompanying picture.

In electrical connections where voltage Voltage

Voltage is the difference of electrical potential [i] between two points of an electrical network [i] ... 

 is sufficient to cause injury Electric shock

An electric shock can occur upon contact of a human or animal body with any source of voltage high enoug... 

, the part connected to the power source is invariably female, so that hazardous voltage is not exposed to inadvertent contact. A plug is connected to the device drawing the power.

IEEE STD 100 and ANSI Y32.16 define "plug" and "jack" by location or motion, rather than gender. A connector in a fixed location is a jack, and a moveable connector is a plug. The distinction is relative, so a portable radio is considered stationary compared to the cable from the headphones; the radio has a jack, and the headphone cable has a plug. It is common practice to use female connectors for jacks, so the informal gender-based usage often agrees with the functional description of the technical standards. This is not always the case, so it is best to use "male" and "female" for gender, and "plug" and "jack" for function.

In low-voltage use, such as for data communications Telecommunication

Telecommunication is the transmission [i] of signals [i] over a distance for the purpose of communication [i] ... 

, this is less important, and male or female connectors are used based on other engineering factors such as convenience of use or ease of manufacturing. For example, the common "patch cables" Category 5 cable

... 

 used for Ethernet Ethernet

Ethernet is a large and diverse family of frame [i]-based computer networking [i] ... 

 hookups typically have plugs Registered jack

A registered jack is a standardized physical interface for connecting telecommunications equipment.... 

 on both ends, to connect to jacks on equipment or mounted in walls. A device called a gender changer Gender changer

A gender changer is a hardware device placed between two cable connector [i]s of the same type and gender [i]... 

 may be used to join two connectors of the same gender, for example, to extend one video cable with another.

The gender of a connector is determined by the structure of its primary functional components — i.e., the conductors of an electrical connector, or the load-bearing parts of a fastener — and not by secondary features such as covers, shields or handles that may be installed for environmental protection, safe operation, etc.

Certain connector designs involve paired identical parts each containing both protrusions and indentations. The term hermaphrodite is used for such devices, along with combination , two-in-one, two-way, and others.

Examples


  • A power cord on a lamp or appliance terminates in a plug; it connects to a socket in a wall or on an extension cord.
  • Co-axial cable Coaxial cable

    Coaxial cable is an electrical cable [i] consisting of a round conducting wire, surrounded by an insulating [i] ... 

    s used for video or other high-frequency Frequency

    [i] of the number of times that a repeated event occurs per unit of [[time]... 

     signals are normally terminated, at both ends, in a connector RF connector

    An RF connector is an electrical connector [i] designed to work at radio frequencies [i] in the multi-me... 

     comprising an inner pin and an outer fixed or rotating shell; these are conventionally reckoned as male.
  • A nut is female and a bolt Screw

    ... 

     is male.
  • Piping and plumbing fittings

See also

  • Screw thread Screw thread

    The screw and nut pair can be used to convert torque into linear force....