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HD11:13

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Heating effect of electricity is one of the widely used effects in the world. When electric current is passed
through a conductor, it generates heat due to the resistance it offers to the current flow. The work done in
overcoming the resistance is generated as heat.
This is studied by James Prescott Joule and he enunciated various factors that affect the heat generated.
The heat produced by a heating element is directly proportional to the square of the electric current (I)
passing through the conductor, directly proportional to the resistance (R) of the conductor, time (t) for
which current passes through the conductor. It is given by the expression
H = I2Rt and is well known as Joules Law.
Applications of the heating effect of electric current include appliances like electric immersion water
heater, electric iron box, etc. All of these have a heating element in it. Heating elements are generally
made of specific alloys like, nichrome, manganin, constantan etc.
A good heating element has high resistivity and high melting point. An electric fuse is an example for the
application of heating effect of electric current. The rating of 3 A of an electric fuse implies the maximum
current it can sustain is three ampere.
The chemical reaction within the cell generates the potential difference between its two terminals that sets
the electrons in motion to flow the current through a resistor or a system of resistors connected to the
battery. To maintain the current, the source has to keep expending its energy.
A part of the source energy in maintaining the current may be consumed into useful work (like in rotating
the blades of an electric fan). Rest of the source energy may be expended in heat to raise the
temperature of gadget. For example, an electric fan becomes warm if used continuously for longer time,
etc.
If the electric circuit is purely resistive, that is, a configuration of resistors only connected to a battery, the
source energy continually gets dissipated entirely in the form of heat. This is known as the heating effect
of electric current. When a conductor offers resistance to the flow of current the work done by the electric
current in overcoming this resistance is converted into heat energy.
The generation of heat in a conductor is an inevitable consequence of electric current. In many cases, it is

undesirable as it converts useful electrical energy into heat. In electric circuits, the unavoidable heating
can increase the temperature of the components and alter their properties.
The electric heating is also used to produce light, as in an electric bulb. Here, the filament must retain as
much of the heat generated as is possible, so that it gets very hot and emits light. It must not melt at such
high temperature. A strong metal with high melting point such as tungsten (melting point 3380C) is used
for making the filaments of the bulb. The filament should be thermally isolated as much as possible,
using insulating support, etc. The bulbs are usually filled with chemically inactive nitrogen and argon
gases to prolong the life of filament. Most of the power consumed by the filament appears as heat, but a
small part of it is in the form of light radiated.
Devices which work on the heating effect of electric current have a heating element or filament. Good
heating elements have high resistivity, high melting point and negligible variation in resistance due to
temperature changes.
The three metal alloys most commonly used as heating elements are: Nichrome (80% Ni + 20% Cr);
Manganin (86% Cu + 12% Mn + 2% Ni); Constantan (60% Cu + 40% Ni).
Joule's law
The Joule's law states that the quantity of heat produced in a resistor is directly proportional to: (i)the
square of current for a given resistance, (ii) the resistance for a given current, and (iii) the time for which
the current flows through the resistor, i.e., H = I2Rt.
Consider a current I flowing through a resistor of resistance R.
Let the potential difference across it be V.
Let t be the time during which a charge Q flows across.
The work done in moving the charge Q through a potential difference, V =VQ.
The source must supply energy equal to VQ in time t.
The power input to the circuit by the source is
P = VQtVQt = VI.
Or the energy supplied to the circuit by the source in time t
H= P t,
H = VIt
This energy gets dissipated in the resistor as heat.
Thus for a steady current I, the amount of heat H produced in time t is H = VIt.
Applying Ohms law, H = I2 Rt.
In practical situations, when an electric appliance is connected to a known voltage source, current can be
calculated using the relation I = VRVR . Using this value in H = I2Rt, the heat produced can be calculated.
One of the common applications of Joules heating is the fuse used in electric circuits. An electric fuse is a
safety device used to protect circuits and appliances by stopping the flow of any unduly high electric

current. It works on the heating effect of electric current.

Electric Fuse
The fuse is placed in series with the device. An electric fuse consists of a piece of wire made of a metal or
an alloy of appropriate melting point, for example aluminum, copper, iron, lead, etc. If a current larger than
the specified value flows through the circuit, the temperature of the fuse wire increases. This melts the
fuse wire and breaks the circuit. The fuse wire is usually encased in a cartridge of porcelain or similar
material with metal ends.
The fuses used for domestic purposes are rated as 1 A, 2 A, 3 A, 5 A, 10 A, etc. For an electric iron which
consumes 1 kW electric power when operated at 220 V, a current of (1000/220) A, that is, 4.54 A will flow
in the circuit. In this case, a 5 A
fuse must be used.
Electric energy and power
The rate of doing work is called power. This is also the rate of consumption of energy.
The equation H = I2 Rt gives the rate at which electric energy is dissipated
or consumed in an electric circuit. This is also termed as electric power. The power P is given by P = VI.
Or P = I2R = V2RV2R .
The SI unit of electric power is watt (W).
It is the power consumed by a device that carries 1 A of current when operated at a potential difference of
1 V.
1 W = 1 volt 1 ampere = 1 V A.
The unit watt is very small. Therefore, in actual practice we use a much larger unit called kilowatt. It is
equal to 1000 watts.
Since electrical energy is the product of power and time, the unit of electric energy is, therefore, watt hour
(W h). One watt hour is the energy consumed when
1 watt of power is used for 1 hour.
The commercial unit of electric energy is kilowatt hour (kW h), commonly known as unit. 1 kW h = 1000
watt 3600 second = 3.6 106 watt second = 3.6 106 joule (J).
We pay the electricity board or electric company to provide energy to move electrons through the electric
gadgets like electric bulb, fan and engines. We pay for the energy that we use and not for the electrons.
Electrons are not consumed in a circuit, as many people think.

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Explanation/ Reason/ Laws/ Rules/ Devices/ Practical Heater and Electric Press.

Electricity is the most widely used form of energy we cannot see electricity, but
we can see its effects. The Electricity can produce different types of effects. Basically
the effect of electricity is conversion of Electrical energy into other form of energy, such
as Light, Heat etc.
When electric current flows in a circuit, it produces various effects such as

Heating Effect
Luminous Effect
Chemical Effect
Magnetic Effect

Out of the above four effects Heating effect and magnetic effect are predominant.
The heating effect of electricity is one of common and unique effect. In this unit we will
learn about the heating effect of electric current, use, advantage and disadvantage of
heating effect.
Have you ever checked the body of electric motor or the body of Fan or Bulb after
long run?
Have you noticed the temperature of any electrical device before and after long run
or glow?
Do you find that electrical devices become warm after long run?
If yes, do you know why the electrical devices become warm after long run?
When a potential difference or Voltage is applied across the ends of a conductive
metallic wire, the free electrons begin forced to move. When the electrons moves the
electrons collide with the atoms. In these collisions, energy of the electrons is
transferred to the atom and the atoms begin to vibrate more violently.
As a result of this collusion the heat is produced. Greater the number of electrons
flowing per second, greater will be the rate of collisions and hence more heat is
produced.
This effect of electricity is called the Heating Effect of electricity. The amount of heat
produced by electrical device in unit time depends on the

Resistance offered by the electrical device (circuit) and

Amount of current flowing through the electrical device (circuit) and
The time (duration) of electric current flow.

The great scientist James Prescott Joule made experiments on heating effect of
electric current, he enunciated various factors that affect the heat generated. He had
given an expression to calculate the amount of Heat produced by the electricity current.
Joules Law:

In studies James Prescott Joule found that the heat produced by a heating element is
directly proportional to the square of the electric current (I) passing through the
conductor,
H I (Current)
2

And directly proportional to the resistance (R) of the conductor,

H R (Resistance)
time (t) for which current passes through the conductor.
H t (Time)
Joules concluded that the quantity of heat developed in a current carrying conductor is
equal to the product of the square of the electric current, the resistance of the conductor
and the time of flow of current through the conductor. If I is the current in ampere (A), R
the resistance of the conductor in ohm (), t the time in seconds (s) then the heat H
produced in joule (J), is
H = I Rt
2

Using Ohm's law R=I/V, the above equation can be changed into different forms.
H = VI t
This is well known as Joules Law.
If we pass a current through a high resistive load higher amount of heat energy
can produced by conversion of electric energy. This effect to electric current is used in
many electrical appliances.
Application of heating effect of electric current:
The heating effect of electric current is utilized in many electrical heating appliances
such as Electric Iron, Room Heater, Water Heater (Immersion Rod), Heater etc. All
these appliances contain high resistance coils. These high resistance heating coils are
made up of nichrome, an alloy of nickel, chromium, maganese and iron. The reasons for
using nichrome as a heating coil are
High melting point
High resistance
The coil can remain in red-hot condition for a long time.
When the appliances are connected with Electric Supply then a large amount of heat is
produced in the heating coils because of high resistance of connected of nichrome wire.
We will learn about some common electrical appliance using the heating effect of
electric current to convert the electrical energy into heat energy.
Electric Iron:

The conversion of electrical energy into heat energy is used in Electric Iron. The
electric iron is one of the common electrical appliances we had already learned about
the use of electric iron in class VI,

Construction:
The simple electric iron uses an element made of Nichrome strip insulated by mica.
When the current flows through the nichrome stripped wire, a heat produces and this
heat makes the bottom of electric iron hotter. This heat is used for ironing of cloths.

Temperature controlled Electric Iron:

In this type of electric iron a temperature sensor called thermo couple is used to control
the higher range of heating of Iron. When the temperature reaches to the defined
maximum limit the thermo couple disconnects the electric supply from iron element and
stops the iron from further heating.

Heater
The conversion of electric energy into heat is achieved by a process called electric
heating. Electric heaters are used for this conversion process. Electric heating finds
many applications in industrial as well as in cooking processes. For example if we
consider electric heaters, its working is very simple. It consists of an electrical resistor in
it.
The electric heater works on the principles of Joules law of heating. According to this
principle, when electric current is passed through the resistor, then the conversion of
electric energy into heat energy takes place.
Types of electric heaters
You may be familiar with the fact that electric heaters come in many different forms.
Some types of electric heaters are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Radiator heaters or space heaters

Convection heaters
Fan heaters or forced convection heaters
Electric Storage heaters
Domestic electrical under floor heating
Heat pumps
Electrode heater
Immersion heater

Electric storage heaters

One such form is the electric storage heaters which are used to heat bricks with the
help of electric energy. The procedure followed here is that the bricks are heated and so
heat gets accumulated and it gets slowly released over the course of the day when it is
required. The advantage of using electric heaters is that energy can be made available
at cheaper electricity prices. The bricks are heated at overnight because the demand for
electricity is low at overnight.
Radiative heaters or space heaters
The radiative heaters have a heating element which is possible of reaching a high
temperature. Similar to a light bulb, the radiative heater element is kept inside a glass
envelope along with a reflector. This reflector is used to direct the output energy far
away from the body of the heater. The heater element is capable of emitting infrared
radiation. These infra red radiations are capable of travelling through air and after hitting
an absorbing surface these radiations are converted into heat and gets partially
reflected. This reflected heat serves the purpose of heating the room and objects
directly. In areas where spot heating is essential such as garages and basements, the
radiative heaters are used.

Advantages:
1.
2.

Silent operation of heaters

Easy to install

Convection heaters
Convection heaters work on the principle of convection. Generally we may know that
hot air is always less dense than the cool air. This makes the hot air to rise which in turn
makes the cool air to flow in to the space left behind. This action produces a constant
current of hot air. This hot air leaves the heater with the help of vent holes provided in
the appliance and this air is responsible of heating the surrounding space. The heating
effect will be more if the surrounding space is a closed space.
Advantages:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Silent operation
Less risk associated with it when compared to radiative heaters
Chances of the heater getting burned are very low.
It affords much safety.
It is suitable for long heating period applications.

Fan heaters
Fan heaters are also called forced convection heaters. They are also a type of
convection heater. It consists of an electric fan which is used to speed up the air flow.
Quick heating of the surrounding can be done possibly with the help of fan heaters.
This action of speeding up the air flow helps to reduce the thermal resistance between
the surrounding air and the heating element and so heat can be transferred at a much
faster rate.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KurQ6NiEDQGBlzcR3IoSZGmXV4zJQRAeLp0NB1Cv_I/edit?hl=en_GB

Heating Effect of Electric Current

We know that a battery or a cell is a source of electrical energy. The chemical reaction within the cell
generates the potential difference between its two terminals that sets the electrons in motion to flow
the current through a resistor or a system of resistors connected to the battery. We have also seen,
To maintain the current, the source has to keep expending its energy. Where does this energy go? A
part of the source energy in maintaining the current may be consumed into useful work (like in
rotating the blades of an electric fan). Rest of the source energy may be expended in heat to raise
the temperature of gadget. We often observe this in our everyday life. For example, an electric fan
becomes warm if used continuously for longer time etc. On the other hand, if the electric circuit is
purely resistive, that is, a configuration of resistors only connected to a battery; the source energy
continually gets dissipated entirely in the form of heat. This is known as the heating effect of electric
current. This effect is utilised in devices such as electric heater, electric iron etc.

Consider a current I flowing through a resistor of resistance R. Let the potential difference across it
be V (Fig. 12.13). Let t be the time during which a charge Q flows across. The work done in moving
the charge Q through a potential difference V is VQ. Therefore, the source must supply energy equal
to VQ in time t. Hence the power input to the circuit by the source is

Or the energy supplied to the circuit by the source in time t is P t, that is, VIt. What happens to this
energy expended by the source? This energy gets dissipated in the resistor as heat. Thus for a
steady current I, the amount of heat H produced in time t is

Applying Ohms law [Eq. (12.5)], we get

This is known as Joules law of heating. The law implies that heat produced in a resistor is (i) directly
proportional to the square of current for a given resistance, (ii) directly proportional to resistance for
a given current, and (iii) directly proportional to the time for which the current flows through the
resistor. In practical situations, when an electric appliance is connected to a known voltage source,
Eq. (12.21) is used after calculating the current through it, using the relation I = V/R.

Figure 12.13 A steady current in a purely resistive electric circuit

Example

12.7

An electric iron consumes energy at a rate of 840 W when heating is at the maximum rate and 360
W when the heating is at the minimum. The voltage is 220 V. What are the current and the
resistance in each case?
Solution
From

Eq.

(12.19),

we

P
the

(a)

When

and

the

current
840

When

=
the

is

=
heating
360
resistance

input

is

at

the

at

W/220
of

the
V/3.82

is

of
220

W/220

resistance
V/I

power

heating

the

(b)
and

that

Thus

know

the

maximum

rate,

3.82

A;

electric

iron

is

57.60

A
the

P/V

=
electric

minimum

rate,

1.64

A;

iron

R = V/I = 220 V/1.64 A = 134.15 .

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is