How many 1250-watt appliances can be used on a 50-amp, 120-volt branch circuit?

• A. 2
• B. 4
• C. 6
• D. 8

Answer: (B)

To determine how many 1250-watt appliances can be used on a 50-amp, 120-volt branch circuit, it's essential to first calculate the total wattage available on the circuit.

Using the formula ( \text{Power (Watts)} = \text{Voltage} \times \text{Current (Amps)} ), we can find the total wattage that a 50-amp circuit can handle at 120 volts:

[

\text{Total Power} = 120 , \text{volts} \times 50 , \text{amps} = 6000 , \text{watts}

]

Next, we need to find out how many 1250-watt appliances can be powered by 6000 watts. To do this, divide the total available wattage by the wattage of each appliance:

[

\text{Number of Appliances} = \frac{6000 , \text{watts}}{1250 , \text{watts/appliance}} = 4.8

]

Since you cannot have a fraction of an appliance, we round down to the nearest whole number, which is 4. Therefore, 4