How do you reverse the direction of a three-phase motor?

• A. You switch two of the wires.
• B. You reverse the rotation by switching the stator windings.
• C. You swap the entire motor connection to the drive.
• D. You adjust the rotation direction in the drive settings.

Answer: (A)

In a three-phase motor, rotation is set by the order in which the three phase voltages reach their peaks—the phase sequence. Swapping any two of the supply wires reverses that sequence (for example, from ABC to ACB), which flips the rotating magnetic field and makes the motor turn in the opposite direction. This is the simplest and most fundamental hardware method that works on standard three-phase motors without changing windings or drive settings.

Other ideas aren't as reliable for a general motor. Reconfiguring stator windings or swapping the entire motor connection to the drive can be impractical or unnecessary and may not reliably reverse rotation. Some drives allow reversing direction through software or a setting, but that depends on the specific drive and isn’t a universal mechanical method.