Daniel unplugged the lamp and stared at the unusual receptacle. He flipped the nearby switch again, plugged the lamp back in, and watched carefully. The upper socket responded to the switch, while the lower socket remained powered continuously.

He suddenly understood why someone might have installed the outlet with its ground hole facing upward. In an older home, a switched outlet could provide convenient control for a lamp without sacrificing the other socket for a clock, charger, or another device. An electrician might use the orientation as a visual reminder that the receptacle worked differently from standard ones. Daniel felt satisfied that he had finally discovered the reason behind the strange installation. He walked through the house expecting to find the same pattern everywhere, certain that the direction of each outlet must reveal something about its wiring.