Does an electric stove burner draw more current when it's first turned on or when it's fully hot?

Short Answer

Expert verified
According to Ohm's Law, an electric stove burner draws more current when it's first turned on and less when it's fully hot.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding how an electric stove works

An electric stove burner works by converting electric energy into heat energy. When electricity crosses the heating element, it faces a certain amount of resistance, and this, in turn, produces heat.
02

Understanding how temperature and resistance are related

In most materials, including those in a stove burner, an increase in temperature leads to an increase in resistance. This is because as temperature increases, atoms vibrate more strongly, making it harder for electrons to pass through, thus offering greater resistance.
03

Applying Ohm's Law

Ohm's law states that \( I = \frac{V}{R} \), where \( I \) is current, \( V \) is voltage, and \( R \) is resistance. If the voltage \( V \) remains constant, then as resistance \( R \) increases, the current \( I \) decreases. Therefore, when the burner is first turned on and is cold, it has less resistance and therefore draws more current. As the burner warms up, its resistance increases and it draws less current.

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