Question
Question: The coil of a wire contained in a heater is known as: A. Circuit B. Current C. Component D. ...
The coil of a wire contained in a heater is known as:
A. Circuit
B. Current
C. Component
D. Spring
Solution
A heating element converts electrical energy into heat by the process of Joule heating. Now a coil of wire is heated by the passage of electric current and used for producing and maintaining a high temperature in different scientific operations. The coil of wire in a heater can also be known as a heating element which is often made of exotic material such as platinum, tungsten, etc.
Complete step by step solution:
The coil of wire in a heater is not a full circuit because for the complete circuit we need an energy source for instance if we add a voltage source then it is a circuit but the coil of wire alone is not the circuit.
When we switch on the voltage or energy source then an electric current flows through the coil of wire but the coil of wire in itself is not current. It is similar to a motorbike passing through a road but the motorbike is not the road.
The coil of wire cannot be called a spring since the motion of the spring should be under the influence of gravity. The coil of wire barely does any motion. The main purpose of that coil of wire is to convert electric current into heat and generate high temperature. By the definition of spring, it is a long piece of thin metal that is bent round and round and when one push or pull the spring it goes back to its original shape. So the spring is also not the correct option.
Since the material that is used in coils of wire is known as a heating element, there are different heating elements or components we could use in a coil of wire, tungsten is a very popular example to use in the coil of wire.
So the correct option is C.
Note:
A typical heating element is usually a coil, ribbon, or a strip of wire that produces heat similar to a lamp filament. When electric current passes through it, it glows red hot and transforms the passing electric energy through it into heat.
The most common heating material used in the heater is Nichrome. It is an alloy of nickel and chromium.