NCERT Gist: Electric Current and Its Effects | Additional Study Material for UPSC PDF Download

- In the bulb there is a thin wire, called the filament, which glows when an electric current passes through it.
- When the bulb gets fused, its filament is broken.
- An electric bulb is used for light but it also gives heat. This is not desirable.
- This results in the wastage of electricity. This wastage can be reduced by using fluorescent tube lights in place of the bulbs.
- Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) also reduce wastage and can be fixed in the ordinary bulb holders.
- These days Miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) are increasingly being used in place of fuses.
- These are switches which automatically turn off when current in a circuit exceeds the safe limit.
- The coil in the above activity behaves like a magnet when electric current flows through it. When the electric current is switched off, the coil generally loses its magnetism.
- Such coils are called electromagnets. The electromagnets can be made very strong and can lift very heavy loads. The coil is no longer an electromagnet.
- It no longer attracts the iron strip.
- The iron strip comes back to its original position and touches the contact screw again.