How many Watts are consumed by three defrost heaters, each 15 ohms, wired in parallel to a 120 volt power supply?

To determine the total power consumed by the three defrost heaters wired in parallel, you first need to calculate the total resistance of the parallel circuit.

When resistors are in parallel, the total resistance (R_total) can be calculated using the formula:

1/R_total = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3.

Since all three heaters have the same resistance of 15 ohms, the equation simplifies to:

1/R_total = 1/15 + 1/15 + 1/15 = 3/15.

This means:

R_total = 15/3 = 5 ohms.

With the total resistance known, you can then use Ohm's Law to find the total power consumed (P). The power consumed by a resistive device can be found using the formula:

P = V^2 / R.

Substituting the known values:

P = 120^2 / 5

P = 14400 / 5

P = 2880 watts.

This calculation shows that the total power consumed by the three heaters is indeed 2880 watts, which corresponds to the selected answer. Therefore, the correct answer accurately reflects the calculations based on the principles of electrical resistance