Commercial electricity is generated and transmitted as three-phase electricity. Instead of a single emf ε = ε0 cos ωt, three separate wires carry currents for the emfs ε1 = ε0 cos ωt, ε2 = ε0 cos(ωt+120°), and ε3 = ε0 cos(ωt−120°). This is why the long-distance transmission lines you see in the countryside have three parallel wires, as do many distribution lines within a city. Show that the potential difference between any two of the phases has the rms value 3–√ εrms, where εrms is the familiar single-phase rms voltage. Evaluate this potential difference for εrms = 120 V. Some high-power home appliances, especially electric clothes dryers and hot-water heaters, are designed to operate between two of the phases rather than between one phase and neutral. Heavy-duty industrial motors are designed to operate from all three phases, but full three-phase power is rare in residential or office use.