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None of the above. It is only a place to connect to the power grid. There is a bit more to the answer than this, but here it is. There is voltage at the outlet. Voltage is the ability to move electrons (current). What you plug in has "resistance" to it. It (the appliance) is designed to work at that voltage, so it has an amount of "resistance" associated with it owing to its construction. The combination of the voltage present and the "resistance" plugged into the voltage source will determine the amount of current that will be drawn. The fundamental relationship between voltage, resistance and current is that voltage (which is electromotive force and will cause current to flow if given a complete circuit to work through) equals current (the actual moving electrons, or the amount of moving electrons) times resistance (the limiting factor in things - the nature of the material in the circuit and the configuration of the material as regards how well it will conduct electric current that is changing direction, is alternating). Breakers or fuses in the distribution panel provide a current limiting safety feature. But the electrical outlet itself controls nothing that is plugged into it. In the power grid, the voltage is AC (alternating current), and a lot of the things we plug in are inductive (like electric motors) and not "resistive" as stated above. The term "resistive" was used to convey basic meaning. This is a basic question. Don't trash this answer with a lot of highly technical mumbo jumbo. Save that for the engineering section. See you there.

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Q: Does a wall outlet control current voltage or resistance?
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The wiring in the wall of your house to and from an outlet has a total resistance of typically 0.12 ohms suppose a device plugged into a 120 V outlet draws 10 A of current What is the voltage drop?

Assume the supply as DC (Only resistance given) Voltage drop = 10X10X0.12 = 12V (approx)


If you plug an electric toaster rated at 110-v into a 220-v outlet what will the outlet current in the toaster be?

It doesnt matter you will smoke it. The current in a resistive circuit is proportional to the voltage. If the voltage doubles and the resistance is the same (elements) the current will double and burn up both the elements and the toaster wiring. Look up "ohms law" for current voltage and resistance effects. Don't try it..


Does electricity flow even if nothing is plugged into the outlet?

Yes. If you hook up your phone charger, it is using a little bit over 50% power without a phone attached. No. The voltage potential of 120 volts is at the receptacle outlet slots but to make the current flow, a resistive load is needed. In the case above the phone charger is the load. Un-plug the load and no current flow.


What size wire do you need to run for 30 amp service to travel trailer 400 feet?

It depends on the amperage you are needing at the outlet. Electrical wires have resistance, which eats up current. Longer wires have more resistance simply because they are longer and need to draw more power at the source in order for the correct amount of power to reach the outlet.


What is term used when an Alternating current acts like a direct current?

Perhaps you are asking how the voltage of alternating current is measured, to be equivalent to the voltage of a direct current system. Alternating current and direct current have distinct properties. With direct current, voltage is at a constant polarity, and a direct current voltage source will maintain a uniform, constant voltage level. Alternating current reverses polarity at a given frequency and therefore it's voltage continuously varies from a positive peak voltage level, through zero, to a negative peak voltage level, repeating this cycle continuously. For this reason, voltage of an alternating current system, is measured in root-mean-square (rms), which is a voltage, which when multiplied by the current in amperes, calculates power which is equivalent to that of direct current of the same voltage and current values. With a typical sinusoidal waveform, the peak voltage of alternating current is divided by the square root of 2 to determine the rms voltage. The 120 volts output in the wall outlet in our home is actually about 170 peak volts.

Related questions

A microwave oven has a resistance of 24 ohms It draws 5 A of current What is the voltage in volts of the wall outlet that it is plugged into?

Ohm's Law says Voltage = Current x Resistance V = 5 x 24 = 120 V.


The wiring in the wall of your house to and from an outlet has a total resistance of typically 0.12 ohms suppose a device plugged into a 120 V outlet draws 10 A of current What is the voltage drop?

Assume the supply as DC (Only resistance given) Voltage drop = 10X10X0.12 = 12V (approx)


An electric clothes dryer has a resistance of 16 ohms It draws 15 A of current What is the voltage in volts of the wall outlet that it is plugged into?

We know that Voltage = Current x Resistance, so if E = I x R, then E = 20 x 12 = 240 volts, and the dryer must be plugged into a 240 volt outlet.


If you plug an electric toaster rated at 110-v into a 220-v outlet what will the outlet current in the toaster be?

It doesnt matter you will smoke it. The current in a resistive circuit is proportional to the voltage. If the voltage doubles and the resistance is the same (elements) the current will double and burn up both the elements and the toaster wiring. Look up "ohms law" for current voltage and resistance effects. Don't try it..


A kettle is connected to a 120v outlet with a resistance of 9.6 ohms what is the current required to operate the kettle?

The formula you are looking for is V = IR where V = Voltage I = Current R = Resistance With some formula manipulation and numbers plugged in you get I = 120V / 9.6Ω I = 12.5A The kettle would have 12.5 volts of current running through it.


The light bulb in your lamp has burned out so you replace it with a light bulb with 130 ohms that is plugged into a 100V outlet What is the current flowing through the bulb?

Current = (voltage) / (resistance) = 100/130 = 0.769 A = 769 milliamperes (rounded)


A desktop computer and monitor together draw about 0.6 A of current They plug into a wall outlet that is 120 V What is the resistance in ohms of the computermonitor combination?

To find the resistance in a circuit, use the equation R = V/I, where R is the resistence in ohms, V is the voltage, and I is the current in amps. Therefore, your equation is R = 120/0.6. Therefore, the resistance is 200 ohms. Hope this helps


Why do signs say Danger High Voltage instead of Danger High current?

Electricity is transferred with high voltage and low current to reduce transmission loss ( I2R , where R= resistance of wire). As high voltage is present in transmission lines, Danger-high voltage is written.


What is ac welding?

AC welders use electric voltage directly from an alternating current outlet.


An old television draws about 3 A of current It plugs into a wall outlet that is 120 V What is the resistance in ohms of the television?

Is this, intentionally, a trick question?We are dealing with alternating current, here, not direct current. So, if you divide the supply voltage by the current drawn by the television set, you are determining its impedance(Z), not its resistance:Z = V/I = 120/3 = 40 ohmsImpedance is the vector sum of resistance and reactance. As the current is probably being drawn by a transformer, the resistance will be significantly lower than the reactance, perhaps only an ohm or two -if that!So, from the information supplied, you cannot determine the resistance.


What is a live outlet?

An outlet that is at voltage. A dead outlet will not have zero voltage, thus cannot provide power.


An electric clothes dryer has a resistance of 8 ohms It draws 30 A of current What is the voltage in volts of the wall outlet that it is plugged into?

Power (Watts) = Current (Amps) * VoltagePower = 22Amps * 240 VoltsPower = 5,280 Watts5280