Before someone LMGTFYs me, let me get this straight: I HAVE DUCKDUCKGO'ed this already, but I still cannot understand what switch 'pole' and 'throw' mean. I really just need a clearer explanation of switch terminology please!
Electronic – I’m having trouble understanding SPST terminology
switchesterminology
Best Answer
Think of "Poles" as a piece of wire you want to connect somewhere. And "Throws" as places where you can connect that wire to.
N Poles = N wires
M Throws = M places where you can connect each of the N wires to.
SPST
(Note that on a SPST there isn't necessarily a side which is the Pole or the Throw.)
The following might help you understand the terminology better:
SPDT
Following is a SPDT. Which means you have a piece of wire you can connect to two places.
Images are from Sparkfuns explanation.