Grounded (grounding) is defined as being what?

Grounding is an essential electrical safety practice, defined as being connected to ground or to a conductive body that extends the ground connection. This connection to the ground provides a path for electrical current to safely dissipate into the earth in the event of a fault, reducing the risk of electric shock and preventing damage to equipment.

When a system or device is grounded, it ensures that any stray electrical energy has an escape route, thus stabilizing voltage levels and providing a reference point for the electrical system. The grounding can be achieved through various means, including a direct connection to the earth or through an expanded conductive system that ultimately connects to the earth.

The other options do not encompass the complete definition of grounding. Connecting to a neutral conductor alone doesn’t fulfill the safety requirements for grounding, and a grounding rod is just one method of achieving ground connection; it does not define the concept entirely. Isolation from conductive surfaces is the opposite of grounding and does not provide any path for electrical current, making it fundamentally unsafe.