Question

Fill in the blank:
An electric fuse works on the ________ effect of current.
A) Heating
B) Magnetic
C) Chemical
D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint:An electric fuse is defined as an electrical device which consists of a very short piece of wire. It interrupts the flow of electric current when a large current flows in an electric wire. It is therefore used as a safety device in all the electrical circuits.

Complete step by step answer:
Step I:
An electric fuse works on the principle of ‘Heating Effect of Electric Current’. According to the heating effect of electric current, when an electric current is passed through a current carrying conductor, it does not let the current to flow. As a result the charges start accumulating and hence heat is generated.

Step II:
A fuse wire is basically made up of alloys of tin and lead. This is because they have a low melting point. When two wires in an electrical circuit touch each other or come in contact with each other, then it can result in a short circuit.

Step III:
When a large amount of current flows through the fuse wire, it gets heated and also can catch fire sometimes. Due to excessive heating it melts and breaks the circuit. Due to this the current stops flowing in the circuit and thus the damage can be avoided.

Step IV:
$ \Rightarrow $Option A is the right answer.

Note:It is important to note that the amount of heat generated depends on some factors and can be different for different materials. It depends on the length, thickness, material of the wire and the amount of current flowing through it.