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

2843 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is the difference between current and voltage?


How deep is the water if it takes a pulse of ultrasound 0.8s to be received back at the boat. the speed of ultrasound is 1600m/s in water


Find the period of a wave given that it has a speed of 200m/s and a wavelength of 2m


A single wind turbine has a maximum power output of 2 000 000 W. The wind turbine operated continuously at maximum power for 6 hours. Calculate the energy output in kilowatt-hours of the wind turbine.


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:

© 2026 by IXL Learning