Heating effect on electric current

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We use many devices in which electrical energy is converted into heat energy. When electric current is passed through a wire, it is heated up and the electrical energy is converted into heat energy. Devices like the filament of an electric heater, geyser, light bulb etc utlise this 'heating effect of current. Why is heat produced when current is passed through a conductor? A metallic conductor has a large number of free electrons available in it. When a potential difference is applied across the ends of a wire, the free electrons begin to drift from a region of low potential to a region of high potential. These electrons collide with the positive ions (the atoms which have lost their electrons). These collisions transfer the energy of the electron to the positive ions which begin to vibrate more violently. As a result, heat is produced. The greater the number of electrons flowing per second, the greater will be the rate of collisions and so greater is the heat produced. If the cross sectional area of conductor is greater, collisions are avoided and hence less heat is produced.

The heating effect of an electric current:

When a charge moves in a conductor, work is done by that charge. Devices can be made which convert this work into heat ( electric heaters), light (light bulbs and neon tubes), or motion, i.e. kinetic energy (power tools). From the definition of potential difference, V, we have V = W/Q, where W is the work done by charge Q. Hence, W = VQ. Current is the flow of charge, so that in time t, the amount of charge moving through the conductor will be Q = It. Therefore, W = VIt gives the work done in time t, by a current I, flowing through a conductor across which the potential difference is V. This may be written in two other ways by substituting from Ohm's Law:

where R is the resistance of the conductor.

Light bulbs: An incandescent light bulb consists of an evacuated glass container, with conducting supports to hold a coil of fine tungsten wire. As the current passes through the filament, it reaches very high temperatures and emits energy in the form of light. Tungsten is chosen as the metal for the filament as it has a high melting point (3410 C). The filament is in a vacuum in order to prevent oxidation of the metal, which would simply burn at the high operating temperature, if air were to be present in the bulb.

Since P = I2R, (the power dissipated in a light bulb is directly proportional to the square of the current flowing through it, and directly proportional to the resistance of the bulb), for a given current flowing through the bulb, the brightness of the light will increase as the resistance increases. On the other hand, for a given applied voltage, the brightness of the light will decrease as the resistance increases. Remember also that

A good deal of the power is wasted in generating heat (more than 90%!) The resistance of the bulb will depend on the operating temperature and design of the filament.

Fuses: When a current is passed through a conductor, heat is generated, This is the principle which operates in FUSES. In order to protect equipment or appliances from large, unexpected currents, a fuse (one design is shown on the left) is placed in series in the circuit. It consists of a metal wire designed to melt, and hence break the circuit, once the current through it reaches a stated value. Efficiency: Domestic appliances convert electrical energy into other forms of energy. Appliances are generally marked with the recommended operating voltage and their total power consumption at that voltage. In the case of appliances that produce light and motion, not all the electrical energy is converted into the desired form of energy, as some of the electrical energy is converted to heat. The fraction of energy converted to the desired form is the efficiency of the appliance, e, given by