What is the Meaning of Battery is Shorted and What Happens When It is Shorted?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of the heating effect of current in relation to a battery's behavior when shorted. The original poster presents a problem involving a battery with an electromotive force (emf) and internal resistance, seeking clarification on the implications of shorting the battery.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to understand the term "shorted" in the context of the problem and expresses confusion about its implications. Some participants provide definitions and explanations of what it means to short a battery, while others suggest re-evaluating the problem with specific conditions.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants offering insights into the meaning of shorting a battery and its consequences. There is a mix of interpretations and attempts to clarify the concept, but no consensus has been reached regarding the implications of shorting the battery.

Contextual Notes

The original poster indicates a lack of understanding of the term "shorted," which is crucial for addressing part (c) of the problem. This highlights a potential gap in knowledge that may affect their ability to engage with the problem fully.

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INTRODUCTION:Here is a problem on "Heating Effect Of Current".I can't understand a part of it.
EXACT PROBLEM: "A battery of emf E and internal resistance r is supplying current to an external resistance R.(a)Show that the power dissipated in R will be maximum when R=r.(b)What is the maximum power?(c)What would happen if the battery is shorted?"
WHAT MY BRAIN SUGGESTED:(a)The current in the circuit is i=E/(R+r).Power dissipated is P=(i^2)r.Now putting the value of i, we find that P will be maximum when denominator is minimum,i.e. (R-r)^2 is 0. So, R=r.
(b)Putting r in place of R in the power equation, we get maximum power as (E^2)/4r.
(c) ***ERROR***The word "shorted" is not yet registered in the PHYSICS part of my brain .BRAIN CANNOT SUGGEST ANYTHING.SORRY.
CONFUSION:What does "battery is shorted" mean?And what would happen if the battery is shorted?
CONCLUSION:Physics Forums say that it is necessary to show that one has tried a particular problem in order to be answered.But what can one do if he cannot understand the meaning of a term?(I don't know what exactly "shorted" is).How will i prove that I've really tried part (c)?Nevertheless, I've tried to show that i know the other things of "Heating Effect Of Current".If you still don't believe me i have nothing to say. But if you do help me, thank you in advance.
 
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Hello, I think shorted implies a short circuit, and the heating effect of current is joule heating--Joule's Law.
 
"The battery is shorted" means that instead of connecting an external resistance across the battery terminals you connect a plain conducting wire across them. Assume the wire has zero resistance and thus creates the so-called "short circuit".
 
so in this case, what would happen if the battery is shorted. plesae explain. it is the first time I'm coming across short circuit problems. thanks.
 
Just redo your analysis, only this time have R = 0.
 
thanks a lot.
 

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