What distinguishes a momentary pushbutton from a maintained pushbutton in control circuits?

• A. A momentary pushbutton latches until reset; a maintained pushbutton changes state only while pressed.
• B. A momentary pushbutton changes state only while pressed; a maintained pushbutton latches until reset.
• C. They are functionally the same; both latch.
• D. A momentary pushbutton is used only in indicators; maintained used for power.

Answer: (B)

Momentary versus maintained refers to whether the pushbutton’s contact state lasts after you release the button. A momentary pushbutton changes the circuit only while it is being pressed; once you let go, the contact returns to its original position and the circuit returns to its prior state. A maintained pushbutton has a latching mechanism, so after you press it, the contacts stay in the new state and keep the circuit on or off until you perform another action to change it (such as pressing it again or using a reset). This distinction is why a momentary button is used for momentary signals (like a brief start or stop action), while a maintained button is used when you want the state to be held until it’s intentionally changed. The other options either describe a latched behavior for the momentary button or misstate typical uses, which is why they aren’t correct.