Pete
Okay then at line voltage of 120 volts AC (but lets say DC) we are told 16AWG has a current rating of 10 amps.10 amps at 120 volts gives us a wattage rating of 1200.
My heat gun is 1200 watts and if I use a 16AWG extension cord you can feel it getting warm with prolonged use and the heat gun seeming to not have as much heat or power.
If we use the formula R=V
2/P or the R=P/I
2 formula to calculate resistance then R= 12 ohms, so I think the 10 amp rating refers to the wattage of the appliance rather than to the wattage a shorted wire can handle.
I think this is where you misunderstand. I am not talking about a shorted wire load but rather the load of the appliance, which a 16AWG wire with only a .014 resistance can carry.
So how does this apply to a 1 volt, 1200 amp load?
Again we are not talking about a shorted 3 ft. length of 16AWG but rather a 1200 watt load.
Imagine we have a 1200 watt resistance load designed not to operate at line voltage but rather at exactly one volt and 1200 amps. To simulate this load let us use our equations to see just what the results will be.
Starting with P=IV we get R=V/I or 1/1200=0.000833333
0.000833333 ohms then is the resistance of our appliance load.
Lets select a 1200 watt, 0.000833333 ohm wire wound ceramic resistor to simulate this load.
Now we can cut our 3 ft piece of 16AWG in half, attach it to each end of out appliance load and operate our 1200 watt appliance all day long at 1 volt and 1200 amps using our 3 ft length of 16AWG, 10 amp, 120 volt, .014 ohm piece of wire.
Here is the full set of equations for 10 amps at 120 volts and 1200 amps at 1 volt.
| P=watts | I=amps | V=volts | R=ohms |
P=I2R | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
P=IV | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
P=V2/R | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
V=P/I | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
V=IR | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
V=(PR).5 | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
I=(P/R).5 | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
I=V/R | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
I=P/V | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
R=P/I2 | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
R=V/I | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
R=V2/P | 1200 | 1200 | 1 | 0.000833333 |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| P=watts | I=amps | V=volts | R=ohms |
P=I2R | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
P=IV | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
P=V2/R | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
V=P/I | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
V=IR | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
V=(PR).5 | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
I=(P/R).5 | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
I=V/R | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
I=P/V | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
R=P/I2 | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
R=V/I | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
R=V2/P | 1200 | 10 | 120 | 12 |
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