i have a four foot ballast with two 32w T8 fluorescent bulbs i need to connect the wires to a house hold outlet and i need to add a switch.
theres a black and a white wire and a screw for ground

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/icantthinkofausername/Untitled-1-1.jpg

what do i need

Well you are going to need some cable, and I'm going to suggest 1.5mm^2 flat,three-core TPS (you only have around a 6.8A load [I = V/P], so 1.5 is fine) and just a normal household switch, which can be bought from any electrical supplier. You are installing a light circuit so you will be able to double it off any power circuit that is nearby, ie undo the nearest socket outlet from the wall, disconnect the cables from it, twist your active cable with the existing active and the neutral with the existing neutral and screw them back into the housing in the back of the socket outlet. Get your earth wire and solder it to the existing earth.

REMEMBER THAT WHEN DOING ANY ELECTRICAL WORK THE CIRCUIT MUST BE ISOLATED AND PROVED TO BE DEAD BEFORE BEING TOUCHED. Buy a multi-meter.

could i just connect a plug to the ballast? instead of opening up the outlet. i have a cord with a plug, it has a ground and a switch already attached to it that came off a 125volt power strip

Well you are going to need some cable, and I'm going to suggest 1.5mm^2 flat,three-core TPS (you only have around a 6.8A load [I = V/P], so 1.5 is fine) and just a normal household switch, which can be bought from any electrical supplier. You are installing a light circuit so you will be able to double it off any power circuit that is nearby, ie undo the nearest socket outlet from the wall, disconnect the cables from it, twist your active cable with the existing active and the neutral with the existing neutral and screw them back into the housing in the back of the socket outlet. Get your earth wire and solder it to the existing earth. u sure u know what you're talking about? An experienced electrician, or anyone who works with electricity period, should never get that equation backwards, as the consequences can be quite tragic.

could i just connect a plug to the ballast? instead of opening up the outlet. i have a cord with a plug, it has a ground and a switch already attached to it that came off a 125volt power stripThat's what I was going to suggest.

yeah just tried that and the bulb started smoking

u sure u know what you're talking about? An experienced electrician, or anyone who works with electricity period, should never get that equation backwards, as the consequences can be quite tragic.

That's what I was going to suggest.
P = VI becomes I = V/P through the process of transposition.
I = 110/32
= 3.43A

We will have a series circuit, current is the constant in a series circuit, therefore the two currents can be added.

P = VI becomes I = V/P through the process of transposition.
I = 110/32
= 3.43A

We will have a series circuit, current is the constant in a series circuit, therefore the two currents can be added.Wow, you really don't know what you're talking about.

protip: go back and learn basic arithmetic, and then try to tackle basic electronics.
lifetip: admit when you don't know what you're talking about.

Wow, you really don't know what you're talking about.

protip: go back and learn basic arithmetic, and then try to tackle basic electronics.
lifetip: admit when you don't know what you're talking about.
Explain it to me then champ. What am I doing wrong?

if P = I x V, where P = 6, I = 3, V = 2, obviously P = 3 x 2 = 6

then, using the same values, you're saying that I = V/P = 2/6 = 3

I'm fairly certain that 2 divided by 6 does not equal 3.

Fuck the equations. Your household voltage should be 120v. If you live somewhere not in the US it may differ, but saying you bought the light in the same fucking country, then the ballast should be 120v. Or it may be a multitap 120/277v. If it is just 277v, then you may have a problem.

Are you saying you don't care if wiring is exposed? Because if you just want to run a cord to the light, and you want a way to wire the light to plug in to a plug with a switch, then the simple solution would be to get a cord cap.

Make up a good splice with the hot, neutral, and ground wires, to a length of wire long enough to come out of the fixture, and reach your plug, and run your cord/switch that way.

*EDIT*

Secondly, if you would like to surface mount the fixture, and have no wiring exposed, then what is your current lighting situation in the room? Are you adding a light, or are you changing out an old one? What is the ceiling situation? Drywall? Dropped ceiling? Is there an existing switched light in the room? If so you could splice off of that light to wire the new one.

im going to return the light and get one with a plug, i just dont feel safe using it after it was smoking

Simple enough solution. Trust me, I've had more than a few lights start smoking on my. Fluorescent lights are weird, sometimes if you don't put the tubes in right, they'll start smoking. If the ballast is wired wrong it will smoke too.