Question

All of the electrical outlets in a room are connected in a single parallel circuit. The circuit is equipped with a 20-A fuse, and the voltage is
V = 220 V.

(a) What is the maximum total power that can be supplied by the outlets without blowing the fuse?



(b) How many 2,300-W appliances can be plugged into the sockets without blowing the fuse?

Answer 1

(a) maximum total power

$$P = V\cdot I = 4400\, \text{W}$$

(b) If we plug 2 appliances, consumed power would be

$$2\cdot 2300 = 4600 \, \text{W} > 4400\, \text{W}$$

more than maximum total power that can be supplied by the outlets without blowing the fuse.

Therefore, only 1 appliance could be plugged.