Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Two flat strips on the plug rim meet spring contacts inside the socket. The figure is taken from International Electrotechnical Commission, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a everyday life fact?

Yes. It sits on the Everyday Life shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

European Schuko plugs put earth contacts on the sides

Two flat strips on the plug rim meet spring contacts inside the socket The Schuko plug, common in Germany and much of continental Europe, has no earth pin at all. Instead two metal strips on the plug edge press against springs set deep in the socket recess, so the earth path runs through the sides. Because it fits either way round, the design does not fix which wire is live. It sits in Mondo's everyday life collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

International Electrotechnical Commission

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: electricity, plugs, europe

European Schuko plugs put earth contacts on the sides: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Two flat strips on the plug rim meet spring contacts inside the socket. The figure is taken from International Electrotechnical Commission, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a everyday life fact?: Yes. It sits on the Everyday Life shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.