eli5: plugging something directly into an outlet and running the same device through a power strip with multiple devices plugged in results in the same amount of power going to my device. How does that work?
In: Technology
The thing plugged in determines the current draw. Voltage (usually) remains stable. Power is determined by the voltage and the current draw.
If you eat 3 lbs of food a day, it doesn’t matter if I bring in 6 pounds and split it between you and someone else, you’re still taking your 3 lbs.
The only potential issues will trip your power strip or your breaker/fuse, namely, the current draw of everything on the power strip exceeds the current suppliable by the circuit that runs to that outlet.
Think of the electricity going to your device like a waterfall powering a water wheel.
The current is the water.
The outlet is simply the cliff the water flows down to create the waterfall which powers your device.
When nothing is plugged in, all you have is a really high cliff. You attaching a power strip is just you saying you want to run multiple streams of water down the cliff. If you plug in multiple devices then you will need more water but not necessarily a higher cliff.
The national grid is a huge lake that can easily provide you with the multiple streams of water to power all the devices.
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