Electrical outlet Facts for Kids

A North American electrical outlet

An electrical outlet or receptacle is a socket that connects an electrical device to an electricity supply. In buildings, electrical outlets are usually installed in the wall, although they can also be installed in the floor. Occasionally, they are found in the ceiling for powering devices such as garage door openers or neon signs in storefront windows.

Different countries often have different outlet types and voltages. Adapters are available to convert between the different types.

Images for kids

NEMA 5-15 (type B) plugs with current and voltage ratings shown (left) on label (7 A 125 V) and (centre) on engagement face (10 A 125 V). Also shown (right) is the rating on the C13 connector at the other end of the 10 A 125 V appliance cord.
Four-prong plug used in the US for clothes dryers on 240 V
A plug strip with two USB ports and built in surge protection
Shaver supply unit for BS 4573, US Type A, Australian two-pin, and Europlug Type C
Argentinian 1996 power plug arrangement
Standard Australian 10 A power plug with insulated pins
Australasian switched 3-pin (10 A) dual socket outlet
BS 546 plugs. Left to right: 15 A, 5 A and 2 A.
BS 1363 plug with fuse compartment visible
BS 1363 sockets
BS 4573 plug
CEE 7/1 wall socket, accepts CEE 7/2 (unearthed) plug and also CEE 7/4, CEE 7/6 and CEE 7/7 (earthed) plugs
Two Schuko (CEE 7/3) socket-outlets manufactured by Busch-Jaeger Elektro GmbH: the lower has (black) protective shutters; the upper does not, revealing internal metal contacts
Schuko plug (CEE 7/4) and socket (CEE 7/3)
French socket (CEE 7/5)
Rewireable French plug (CEE 7/6)
Example of a Europlug
Hybrid unearthed CEE 7/17 plug
Chinese 3-pin socket and compound socket which also accepts NEMA and Europlug (right), and a less common, larger 16 A version (left)
Danish 107-2-D1, standard DK 2-1a, with round power pins and half round earth pin
Danish unearthed and switched socket
Socket for the tilted flattened pins and half-round earth pin of Danish computer equipment plug (mainly used in professional environment), standard DK 2-5a
IEC 60906-1 (type N) socket
Two-pin charger, three-pin 10 A plug and 10 A socket-outlet conforming to Brazilian Standard NBR 14136
Two Israeli plugs and one socket. The left plug is the old standard; the one on the right is the 1989 revision.
Israeli socket polarity, with wire colour coding
Old adaptor from forza to 2 × luce and 1 × forza
NEMA connectors
Japanese socket with earth post, for a washing machine
Japanese socket with earth post and earth connector, for an air conditioner
Japanese 200 V socket with earth slot, for an air conditioner
Type J: The 10 Ampere SN 441011 type 13 socket (here: a triple socket) and type 12 plug
SN 441011, overview of the hierarchical Swiss System
TIS 166-2549 plug
A travel adaptor for "Type M" (16 A SANS 164-1) sockets from South Africa
An old US multisocket adapter
Soviet adaptor plug
Walsall Gauge 13 A plug (bottom) compared to regular BS 1363 plug
On the left a BTicino Magic Security plug (10 A), on the right a type L to Magic Security plug adaptor
Plug (sheet V) and socket (sheet VI) to French standard NF C 61-315 (400 V, 32 A)
A so-called "universal socket", which meets no official standard but is intended to accept a number of different plug types.
An earthed Thai socket that appears to comply with figure 4 of TIS 166-2549. Although it may accept NEMA plugs, the Thai voltage is 220 V and thus is electrically incompatible with devices designed only for 110 V.
Chinese dual socket accepting both unearthed 2-pin (upper) and earthed 3-pin (lower) plugs.
Italian bypass lampholder plugs with Edison screw mount. Left: early type (porcelain and brass, c. 1930); right: late type (black plastic, c. 1970)
Lampholder plug (US, circa 1950-1960)
Brazilian 20 ampere socket}}

Electrical outlet facts for kids

Images for kids

See also