3 ms·
240V is not the reason. The continental Europe also has 240V and 16, 10 or 6A. All that with a sane plug size.
by vetinari 11y ago
240V is not the reason. The continental Europe also has 240V and 16, 10 or 6A. All that with a sane plug size.
- mikeash 11y agoHigher voltage should actually make plugs smaller. Higher voltage means that you can deliver the same amount of power with less current. An American appliance which pulls 10A will only need to pull 5A in a European version. Conductor and plug size pretty much doesn't care about voltage, but scales with current drawn.
- sandworm101 11y agoVoltage dictates size, just not during normal operation. [Don't do this] Turn on a toaster and turn off the lights. Then yank out the toaster's plug, fast, [Don't do this] as if you tripped over the cord. [Don't do this] You'll see a blue flash, two arcs from the plug to the outlet, possibly merging into a single arc between terminals. The last thing anyone needs is such an arc sustaining for more than a nanosecond, or across terminals in the outlet. Higher voltage plugs need larger distances between metal parts to prevent sustained arcs. This why if you smell gas you shouldn't ever unplug anything.
- mikeash 11y agoThat's very much a secondary effect at household voltage levels with typical equipment, though. A NEMA 6-15 outlet has no more separation between the blades than a 5-15, for example.