Sockets

A socket is a male or female power receptacle for a computer's power cords. Computers generally have two power cord sockets: a required power cord socket and a pass-through socket. The required power cord socket is standard and resides on the back of a computer. This socket connects a computer's power supply to an external power source, such as a wall socket or power strip.

A pass-through socket is also located on the back of a computer, and looks similar to an ordinary, 3-prong, female wall socket. The circuitry in a computer's power supply allows electricity to actually "pass through" and into a pass-through socket. This socket is used as an additional power supply for peripheral devices, such as a computer monitor.