system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Eli5: why do 220v circuits not need a neutral?
gpt
Circuits need a return path. In a normal circuit one uses  a hot leg that swings to the max positive and negative voltage and a neutral that is nominally at 0 volts. This is partly because it means you only have 1 leg that has potentially dangerous voltage on it.

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For 220, instead of using a neutral as a return path, we use another hot leg that has opposite phase. The reason for this is because we can get twice the voltage and it's easy to generate this second hot opposite phase leg with a transformer.  The trade off is that now we have two hots that have potentially dangerous voltage on them. However a safety ground is still used so steps are taken to minimize the risks.