Dynamis Compatability

[mabloodhound]

Yes, exactly (well not 'exact') the opposite.   A smaller number gauge in the US is a larger wire diameter size.   12AWG (American Wire Gauge) and 14AWG are the common sizes used in home wiring.   16AWG, 18AWG, 20AWG and 22AWG are smaller and used in automotive and electronics wiring.   Of course the smaller gauge number (ie: larger diameter) can carry more current.
Confusing, yup but even our drill sizes are reversed.   The larger drill number is the smaller diameter. 

[Doneldon]

ma-

The same reversal occurs with aperture settings on cameras; they are actually reciprocals of the extent of aperture opening so larger numbers denote smaller holes for the light to squeeze through.

Houses and automobiles have some very large wires, too. The wire from the battery to the starter in a car, for example, is huge  --  6 or 8 ga. That carries a big load of DC which demands a large conductor. In a house, the ground wire from the service entrance to something below grade, commonly the water inlet, is also that big. Sometimes they don't even bother with wire and just use a copper strap. The wires for electric ranges are also very large, on the order of 10 ga. I don't have an electric range in my current house (current? I've been here 19 years) so the only big wire I have is the ground wire. The water inlet isn't close so my ground wire goes to a long, large copper rod which is stuck in the ground near the service entrance.
                                                                                        -- D

[NarrowMinded]

Spacejammed,
The charts on this page should help clear things up.
http://www.simetric.co.uk/siwire_elect.htm
NM-Jeff

[Spacejammed]

Thanks Noarrowminded for that and thanks to all got all the wire i need and also resistors etc for terminators.  Now got a weekend of routing cables and soldering  will post when all done me be a good week.