Question
Differentiate between short-circuiting and overloading.

Answer

  • Short-circuiting:
  • If the plastic insulation of the live wire and neutral wire gets torn, then the two wires come in contact either directly or via a conducting wire.
  • This touching of the live wire and neutral wire is known as short-circuiting
  • In this case, the resistance of the circuit becomes almost zero.
  • This results in the flow of large current in the circuit.
  • This heats up the wire dangerously and may lead to fire.
  • Overloading:
  • The current flowing in domestic wiring at a particular time depends on the power ratings of the appliances being used.
  • If too many electrical appliances of high power rating e.g., electric iron, water heater, air-conditioner, etc. are switched on at the same time, they draw an extremely large current from the circuit.
  • This is called overloading.
  • Therefore the copper / aluminium wires of household wiring get heated to a very high temperature.
  • This can lead to fire.

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