What is a pigtail and why is it used?

• A. A short piece of conductor used to connect a device to a splice or to distribute a connection without disturbing the main splice.
• B. A tool used to strip insulation from conductors.
• C. A device used to connect to the ground.
• D. A type of cable with built-in fuse.

Answer: (A)

A pigtail is a short length of conductor used to connect a device to a splice or to distribute a connection without disturbing the main splice. In wiring practice, multiple conductors may be spliced together to feed a device in a box. Attaching the device directly to the splice can make it hard to remove or replace the device without reopening that splice. Instead, you add a small piece of insulated conductor from the splice to the device terminal. This keeps the main splice intact, provides a clean and reliable connection to the device, and allows the device to be detached or replaced without disturbing the other conductors.

It's not a stripping tool, a grounding device, or a cable with a built-in fuse.