Effects of electric current
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The idea
You cannot see current. But you can see what it does: it makes lamps shine, toasters hot and bells ring. These things are called effects of current.
What to remember
| Effect | What happens | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Heating effect | The wire gets warm or hot | Toaster, hairdryer, hob, incandescent bulb |
| Light effect | The current makes something glow | LED lamp, fluorescent tube |
| Magnetic effect | The current creates a magnetic field | Bell, electromagnet on a crane |
You can use each of these effects. Sometimes an effect occurs that you do not want: a thin cable with too much current flowing through it gets hot. That can start a fire.
Example
The electric bell
When you press the bell button, current flows through a coil. It becomes an electromagnet, pulls a small hammer towards it and strikes the bell. That is the magnetic effect of current.
Practice
Exercise
Solution
Right answer: Toaster – Heating effect; LED torch – Light effect; Bell – Magnetic effect
The toaster heats wires, the LED torch makes a light-emitting diode shine, and the bell uses an electromagnet.
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Exercise
Solution
Right answer: The statement is true.
That is the heating effect of current. Too much current makes a thin cable hot and can cause a fire.
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Exercise
Solution
The thin wire in the bulb gets so hot that it glows. right answer
The wire heats up because of the current and gives off light. The heating effect creates the light here.
A magnet attracts a part inside the bulb.
The magnetic effect is used by a bell, for example, not by an incandescent bulb.
The glass of the bulb is charged by the current.
The glass is an insulator and does not shine by itself.
In an incandescent bulb a thin wire is heated by the current until it glows and gives off light.
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