Question

On what factors does the heating effect of current depend?

Answer 1

Concept used: Electrical current

Prerequisite: Knowledge of the heating effect of current

The expression for the heat produced in resistance due to the supplied electric current is given by,

$H=I^{2}Rt$

Here, H is the amount of heat produced, I is the current supplied, R is the resistance, and t is the time.

From the above equation, we can conclude the following factor affect the heating effect of current,

1. The heating effect is affected by the current supplied as the relation between the heat produced and the current supplied is squared.
2. The heating effect varies with the resistance of the material. The relation between the heating effect and resistance is the direct one.
3. The time for which the current is supplied, as the time is also directly related to the heating effect.