Question

Distinguish between the terms 'overloading' and 'short-circuiting' as used in domestic circuits.

Answer 1

Overloading	Short-circuiting
1. An extremely large amount of current is withdrawn from the circuit when a large number of electric appliances of high power-rating are switched on at the same time or connected in a single socket. This situation is known as overloading .	Short-circuiting occurs when naked live and neutral wires touch each other. In this case, the resistance of the circuit so formed is very small and thus, the current flowing through the wires becomes very large.