Question

Give two advantages to the heating effect of current.

Answer 1

Hint:When a current flows through a conducting material, some work is done by the battery. This energy is dissipated in the form of heat. This principle in which heat is produced due to current is called the heating effect of current.

Complete answer:
We know when a potential difference is created across a conducting material (may be connecting a cell), a current flows through the material.When a charge passes between two points with different electric potentials, some work is done and flow of charge through a cross section per unit time is current. Therefore, when a current flows through a conducting material, some work is done by the battery. This energy is dissipated in the form of heat.
Hence, we say that a current shows a heating effect. The heating effect of current has many advantages in our society.

The most common use of this principle is to produce light in lamps and bulbs. There exist materials which glow when they are heated to a certain extent. Therefore, we pass electric current through these materials to heat them. As a result, they glow and produce light.
The heating effect of current is used to produce heat in heaters.

The principle is also used in electric fuses. Fuse is a substance that has a lower melting point than the other components in the circuit. Therefore, if the current exceeds the required value, the fuse melts due to the heat produced and the circuit breaks. This way a fuse helps in protecting the circuit from getting damaged by excessive heat.

Note: Though the heat effect of current has many advantages, but it also has some disadvantages. The heating effect of current leads to wastage of energy. In circuits used for storing energy, if the most of the energy is converted to heat, then we cannot store maximum energy.Circuit components are sensitive to heat and may get damaged if excessive heat is produced.