Mains electricity by country

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/mains-electricity-by-country

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the north american split-phase?Provides both 120V for general use and 240V for high-power appliances
2. What is mains electricity?Mains electricity is the power that comes from the wall outlet in homes and offices. It is used to run low‑voltage appliances like phones, lamps, and computers.
3. Why do different countries use different plug types and voltages?Countries chose their plug types, voltages, and frequencies when they first built their electrical grids, and those choices stayed because changing everything would be very hard.

Mains electricity: The primary source of electrical power supplied by a public utility to a building.
Voltage: The electric potential difference, measured in volts, that drives electric current.
Frequency: The number of cycles per second of an alternating current (AC) waveform, measured in Hertz (Hz).
Split-phase system: A type of electrical power distribution system that provides two different voltages from a single service.