Question 32 of 38
Q.Why is spark produced in the switch of an electric circuit, when light is put off?
West Bengal WbchseWest Bengal HS (WBCHSE) Board 2024Subjective· 1mImportance★★★★★
84% · 32/38 Questions
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Switching off breaks the current very suddenly; by self-induction this abrupt generates a large back-emf which ionises the air gap in the switch, producing a spark.
Any electric circuit possesses some self-inductance (from its wiring, coils, or the filament/choke of the light itself). While current is steadily flowing, the circuit stores magnetic energy .
When the switch is opened, the current is forced to fall to zero almost instantaneously, i.e. becomes very large (in magnitude) for a brief instant. By Faraday's law of self-induction,
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