Question

What is thermal effect of electric current ? Write down the names of any four appliances based on this effect.

Answer 1

Whenever an electric current flows through a conductor, some of it gets converted into heat energy. This is the heating effect of electric current. The greater the resistance offered by the wire to the flow of current, the greater would be the heat generated. That is why copper wires, which offer very little resistance, do not get heated up. Nichrome and tungsten offer high resistance to the flow of electric current and get heated up. Besides the material, the amount of heat generated in a wire also depends of the length and thickness of the wire. The heating effect of electric current is used in a large number of domestic and industrial appliances for example, room heater, electric kettle, geyser, toaster, electric iron, hair dryer, oven, etc.