Disputed electrical terminology in a railgun proposal

A discussion of adding a third rail turns into a disagreement about how the electrical arrangement should be described. Clarke reports a public document using positive, negative and neutral labels. Another panelist argues that phase labels would be the appropriate description for the arrangement under discussion. Multiphase operation is then suggested as a possible route for designs seeking to transfer more energy to a projectile. These are reported proposals and competing interpretations of terminology, rather than a demonstrated specification for a working weapon.