Floating ground

A floating ground is a reference point for electrical potential in a circuit which is galvanically isolated from actual earth ground.

Most electrical circuits have a ground which is electrically connected to the Earth, hence the name "ground". The ground is said to be floating when this connection does not exist.[1]

Conductors are also described as having a floating voltage if they are not connected electrically to another non-floating (grounded) conductor. Without such a connection, voltages and current flows are induced by electromagnetic fields or charge accumulation within the conductor rather than being due to the usual external potential difference of a power source.

  1. ^ Graf, Rudolf (1999). Modern Dictionary of Electronics (7th ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 292. ISBN 0-7506-9866-7.