Which of the following devices is a least expensive power protection device for filtering the electrical stream to control power surges, noise, power sags, and power spikes?

Question

Options

• ALine Conditioner
• BSurge Suppressor
• CUninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)
• DExpansion Bus

• A
  7% (4)
• B
  14% (8)
• C
  75% (43)
• D
  4% (2)

Explanation

Note: There appears to be an error in the provided answer key. The marked correct answer (C - UPS) contradicts the question's own qualifier: "least expensive."

Here is the accurate breakdown:

A UPS (C) is actually the most expensive option - it provides battery backup plus full power conditioning, which is why it costs significantly more than the others. Marking it as "least expensive" is factually incorrect.

The accurate answer is A (Line Conditioner). A line conditioner is the least expensive device that specifically addresses all four conditions listed: power surges, electrical noise, power sags, and power spikes. It filters and regulates the incoming power stream without the added cost of battery backup.

Why the distractors fail:

• B (Surge Suppressor): Even cheaper, but only protects against surges and spikes - it does not handle power sags or noise filtering.
• C (UPS): Most expensive; includes battery backup for complete outages, far exceeding the "least expensive" criterion.
• D (Expansion Bus): A computer hardware interface for connecting peripherals - not a power protection device at all.

Memory tip: Think of protection tiers by cost - Surge Suppressor < Line Conditioner < UPS. If a question lists all four power problems (surges, noise, sags, spikes) without mentioning outages, the answer is Line Conditioner.

You may want to flag this question to your instructor, as the answer key appears to have an error.

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