The Math Behind AWG: A Deep Dive into American Wire Gauge

In this episode of The Deep Dive, we unravel AWG—the geometric ladder that sizes electrical wire in North America. From its origins in wire-drawing to a standardized, logarithmic progression, we’ll connect diameter, cross-sectional area, and current capacity, and reveal the elegant math behind the numbers. A Fields Medal–winning mathematician joins us to explore logarithms, exponents, and the practical rules of thumb that make AWG predictable—plus how AWG ties into ASTM B258 and the Brown & Sharpe gauge. A compact tour of how a simple gauge scale encodes power and safety.

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