20 upvotes, 3 direct replies (showing 3)
View submission: xkcd: Quantum Vacuum Virtual Plasma
You may be thinking volts - outlets are typically around 120V or 240V.
Where I am, we use 240V, and most circuits have a maximum loading of 10A, which is 2400W. Either way, while it's the current that kills [citation needed] I don't think there are many ways to *safely* deliver 2400W to a person, never mind 20000W... (edit: I was thinking electricity, further discussion in this thread puts it into better perspective)
To answer the original question, 20kW is about enough to run 20 or so microwaves at once, or about five electric ovens, or charge about 5000 smartphones.
Comment by macrocephalic at 06/08/2014 at 05:44 UTC
7 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Or the power typical 250cc motorcycle outputs.
Comment by FunnyMan3595 at 06/08/2014 at 06:27 UTC
8 upvotes, 4 direct replies
20 kW * 1 minute = 287 kilocalories
Drinking a cup and a half of soda in a minute seems fairly safe, as long as you don't do it often.
(A calorie, as used in nutrition, is actually a kilocalorie by the scientific definition, so the above units actually do match, despite their appearance.)
Comment by [deleted] at 06/08/2014 at 13:32 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
North America is typically 120V and 15 or 20A, so the same 2400W peak draw. A taste certainly won't kill you, but you won't quickly forget it either.