Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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NAME: _______________________ REF: 2022-23/ Science/STD 7/ HO

CLASS: VII SUBJECT: SCIENCE

DATE: TOPIC: ELECTRIC CURRENT & ITS EFFECT

ELECTRIC CURRENT AND ITS EFFECTS

Electricity: Electricity is a form of energy which is produced by the tiny charged particles
such as electrons.
Electrical energy is the most useful form of energy as it can easily be converted into
various other forms of energy such as heat energy, light energy, mechanical energy
and chemical energy.
Electric current:
The flow of electric charges in a circuit (through conductor) is called electric current.
• The SI unit of electric current is ampere and denoted by A.
• An electric current flows from the positive terminal to the negative terminal of the cell.
Electric circuit:

The closed path along which the electric current flows from one terminal to another is
called as an electric circuit.
A circuit consists of an electric cell, devices which use the electrical energy, a switch
and connecting wires. These all are called components of the circuit or circuit
elements.
• If any part of a circuit is broken, electric current does not flow through it and
such a circuit is called an open circuit.
• If there are no breaks in a circuit, it provides a closed and continuous path for
the flow of electric current and such a circuit is called a closed circuit.
• Electric current can flow only through closed circuit

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Components of an electric circuit:

Cell or battery:
• A cell is a source of current.
• It has a positive and a negative terminal.
• When two or more cells are connected such that the positive terminal of one
cell touches the negative terminal of the other, it forms a battery.
• They can be connected in series or in parallel.

Switch:
• A switch is used to close or open a circuit.
• When the switch is off, the circuit is open and no current flows through it.
• When the switch is on, the circuit is closed allowing current to flow.

Electrical appliance:
• An electrical appliance is a device that uses the current flowing through it to
function.
• Electric bulbs, electric iron, fans, electric motors are some commonly used
electrical appliances in our daily life.

Wires:
• Wires connect the components of the electric circuit. They are made up of
materials that are good conductors of electricity such as copper.
•
Electrical Symbol
component
1. Cell

2. Battery

3. Open Switch

4. Close Switch

5. Wire

6. Bulb

7. Fuse

Circuit diagram:

A schematic diagram that represents an electric circuit using the standard symbols
of the components used in the circuit is called a circuit diagram.

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Effects of electric Current
• Heating effect - Heating of Electric iron
• Magnetic effect - Working of electric bell
• Mechanical effect - Working of Vacuum cleaner
• Chemical effect - Polishing of artificial jewellery
Heating effect of electric current:
• Production of heat in an electric device due to the flow of electric current is called the
heating effect of electric current.
• When electric current pass through a high resistance wire, the electric energy gets
converted into heat energy and this heat energy heats up the wire.
• The degree to which a material opposes the passage of current through itself is known
as its resistance.
• All the heating devices have a coil of wire called an element. The heating element is
made up of metal alloy called nichrome (alloy of nickel, chromium and often iron).
Factors on Which the Heating Effect of Current Depends:
(i) Resistance of wire: Greater the resistance of a wire, greater will be the heat produced
in it by a given current. The resistance and thus the heat that is produced in the wire
depends upon-
a. The material of the wire- Resistance of nichrome wire is more than that of the copper wire.
b. The length of the wire- Resistance increase with increase in the length of wire.
c. The thickness of the wire- Resistance and the heat produced decreases if thickness of the
wire increases.
(ii) Magnitude of current passed through a given wire: If the magnitude of current passed
through a given wire is greater, then the heat produced in it will also be greater.

Applications of the Heating Effect of Current

1. For the working of electrical heating appliances.
• The appliances such as water heater, electric room heater, electric iron, etc.
work on the heating effect of the electric current.

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 • All the devices have a coil of nichrome wire (element) that have high
resistance to electric current and can withstand high temperatures.
• When the appliance is switched on, the element becomes red hot and give out
heat.
2. The heating effect of electric current is utilised in the electric bulbs.
• A bulb has a thin filament of tungsten metal. Tungsten has a very high
resistance and very high melting point.
• When an electric current pass through the filament, its heat up quickly to about
2500 degree Celsius and begins to glow and emits light.
• Disadvantage- In Incandescent light bulb large amount of electricity consumed
by the filament is converted into heat and only small part of electricity is
converted to light. This results in the wastage of electricity. So, this wastage
can be decreased by using compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) or Light emitting
diodes (LEDs).
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) - Fluorescent light do not have filament. It
contains mercury vapour which emits ultra violet radiation when current passes
through it. The inside of glass tube is coated with an opaque white material called
‘phosphor’. Phosphor absorb the UV radiations emitted by mercury and glow to emit
white light. It uses 70% less electricity.

3. Electric fuse

Electric fuse works on the principle of the heating effect of electric current.

• A fuse is a safety device that breaks a circuit in times of overloading. Thus it

prevent electric fire or damage to electrical appliances due to excessive flow of
current.
A fuse is a thin wire of short length that melts easily when heated. The fuse wire is
made from an alloy of tin and lead and has high resistance and low melting point.
• We should not use a thick wire as a fuse wire as it will have low resistance and
will not get heated.

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 • In Fuse wire a copper wire cannot be used because it has a high melting point
and will not break when a high electric current passes through it.
• Cartridge fuses are provided in appliances like refrigerators, television sets,
geysers etc. to prevent damage from excessive current flow and during short
circuit.

Cause of Large Current Flow in Household Electric Wiring

1. Overloading- It is a situation when too many electrical appliances are

connected to a single socket, they draw an extremely large amount of current from
the household circuit. As a result, the load on the circuit increases and it can lead to a
short circuit or fire.
2. Short Circuit- When the insulation of wires (the live wire and the neutral wire)
gets torn away, the wires can come in contact with each other, large current flows
through the household wiring which cause a spark or may lead to a fire. This touching
of live wire and neutral wire directly is known as a short circuit.

Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs)-

• MCB does not work on the heating effect of current. It works on the magnetic
effect of current.
• These switches automatically turn OFF when the current in a circuit exceeds
the safe limit. We turn them ON and the circuit is once again completed.

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

When an electric current is passed through a wire it behaves like a magnet. This is
called the magnetic effect of the electric current.
• Scientist Hans Christian Oersted found that when an electric current is passed
in a wire, then the compass needle placed near it got deflected from its usual
position.
• The magnetic effect is increased if we use a long coil of wire instead of straight
wire.

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Electromagnet-
An Electromagnet is a material that act as a magnet when a current flows through its
coil.
• Electromagnet is a temporary magnet which behaves like a magnet only when
electric current flows through it. When the electric current is switched off it
loses its magnetism.
• It consists of a magnetic material such a soft iron piece and the coil of
insulated copper wire tightly wound around it.
• Core- The material on which the insulated wire is wound is called its core

The factors through which an electromagnet can be made stronger are-

1. By increasing the amount of current flowing through the coil.
2. By increasing the number of turns forming the coil.

Applications of electromagnet:
• These magnets are used in electrical appliances such as an electric bell,
electric fan, electric motor, telephone instruments, TV, etc.
• Used in electric cranes to lift iron and other magnetic materials.
• For the magnetic separation of iron ores from the earthly substances,
electromagnets are used.
• For preparing strong permanent magnets.
• In CT/ MRI scanning for medical diagnosis.
• Eye doctors use electromagnets to remove tiny particles of magnetic material
that have accidentally fallen in the eye.

Electric Bell
• An electric bell is a device in which to and fro movement of a smaller hammer

(or clapper) on a gong produces the sound of a bell.

• It works on the principle of magnetic effect of current, i.e. electromagnetism.

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 Construction and Working of an Electric Bell-

Contact
P
Screw
screscrew

Construction:
• The electric bell has a U-shaped electromagnet.
• There is a small iron bar called armature which is held in front of the poles of
the electromagnet.
• The lower end of the iron bar is attached to a flat spring which is fixed to a
metal bracket.
• The upper end of the iron bar has a clapper/hammer attach to it.
• A metal gong is fixed near the clapper.
Working-
• When the bell is pressed, the contact screw touches the iron strip and the
circuit is completed.
• The current starts flowing through the coil.
• The electromagnet becomes magnetised and the soft iron armature is
attracted towards the electromagnet. The movement of the iron causes the
hammer to hit the gong.
• This movement breaks the circuit at contact point P of contact screw, so that
the current stops flowing and switches off the electromagnet.
• The spring pulls the armature back to its original position, the circuit is remade
and the process starts over again. This is how the bell rings.

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