Electrical outlets are likely among the most significant and overlooked devices in the common household. And, depending on where you are in the world, you may have a vastly different image pop in your ...

Not all outlet holes are the same, and there's a reason for that. The shapes (vertical slots, round holes, T-slots, etc.) correspond to specific electrical functions and safety features. Take the ...

You find yourself in an airport or hotel room in another country, and you really need to charge your phone, camera or game system. But what is that strange-looking outlet? It has round holes! And ...

While standard receptacles typically use three wires -- hot, neutral and ground -- you'll occasionally find 2-prong outlets in older homes. Since this type of outlet lacks a ground connection, the ...

Wall sockets in your home come in all shapes and forms. Some electrical outlets have a T-shaped hole to indicate that they're rated at 20A, while others feature USB ports to make charging your ...

There are 15 standardized types of domestic electrical outlet plugs in use worldwide. The standard North American outlet, for example, has two vertical slots and a round hole beneath them for ...

This article about electrical outlets is republished here with permission from The Conversation. This content is shared here because the topic may interest Snopes readers; it does not, however, ...

Theodore Kury is the Director of Energy Studies at the University of Florida’s Public Utility Research Center, which is sponsored in part by the Florida electric and gas utilities and the Florida ...