70 watt HPS - black+white to extension cord?

Hey there guys, hoping to consult your wisdom once again.

I am planning on attaching the black and white wires of a 70 watt HPS flood light to an extension cord with the female end cut off....right now.

Considering my past experience with light switch and outlet wiring, i don't see how the extension cord is any different than the loose wires behind the wall intended for light fixtures and such.

Only thing I could imagine, given the complexity of these fixtures, is that the current should not be run through the 'ignitor' or ballast in the wrong direction....BuT it's [A]lternating [C]urrent, not DC, so... white, black, black, white...? Matter?

Thanks.

its always best to observe proper polarity for personal safety and equipment protection. i know generally in A.C. systems if you swap the hot and neutral the light or appliance still works. and many times the equipment is U.L. approved and there is no ground connection. when its U.L. approved then there is no danger to you if the hot becomes loose inside, it will not energize anything on the outer case of the equipment. on a regular house light bulb, swapping the hot and neutral will also change the hot and neutral positions at the socket or lampholder by now making the center of the socket the neutral and the outer shell of the socket the hot. this does pose a more potential hazard to you because its easier to get shocked. always unplug the equipment before working on it.
that being said, i have never hooked up an H.I.D. fixture backwards to test it.
by looking at he diagram below its pretty easy to see so match your cord connections to the light connections.

it doesn`t matter. it is AC current. AC doesnt have (+) or (-) polarity.