Why do things get hot when electricity is pasted through them?

Electricity is the flow of electrons through a material. But for electrons to pass through a material they have to give up some energy, this is called a material's resistance. The energy that is lost from the flow of electrons, due to a material's resistance, is passed onto the material in the form of heat, which makes the material hotter.

PR
Answered by Peter R. Physics tutor

2370 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

(IGCSE, Jan 2013, q8 adapted) The astronaut David Scott dropped a hammer and a feather from rest, at the same time and from the same height on the moon. The hammer and the feather landed at the same time. Why?


a) A car weighs 1500kg, if it is travelling at 7m/s, how much kinetic energy does it have?


What is the difference between longditudinal and transverse waves?


What is the wavelength of a wave travelling at 20ms^-1 with a time period of 0.2s


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning