Chapter 4

Electricity: Magnetic and Heating Effects

Complete Notes and Exercise Solutions — Class 8 Science (Curiosity, NCERT)

Introduction
At a school science exhibition, a working model of a lifting electromagnet fascinated students Mohini and
Aakarsh. An iron nail wrapped with wire and connected to a battery picked up iron paper clips when the circuit
was closed, and dropped them when the circuit was opened — even though no magnet was used. This shows that
electric current itself can produce a magnetic effect.
This chapter explores three big ideas:
• The magnetic effect of electric current (electromagnets).
• The heating effect of electric current (used in heating appliances).
• How cells and batteries generate electricity through chemical reactions.

4.1 Does an Electric Current Have a Magnetic Effect?

Activity 4.1 — Key Observations

A circuit was set up with a cell, switch, and a wire passing over a magnetic compass.
• When the switch is ON (current flows), the compass needle gets deflected from its original (North–South)
direction.
• When the switch is OFF (no current), the needle returns to its original direction.
Conclusion: A current-carrying wire has a magnetic effect on a nearby compass needle.

Key Definitions
• Magnetic field: The region around a magnet or a current-carrying wire where its magnetic effect can be
detected (e.g., by deflection of a compass needle).
• Magnetic effect of electric current: When electric current flows through a conductor, it produces a magnetic
field around it. This magnetic field disappears the moment the current stops flowing.
Discovery: This link between electricity and magnetism was first discovered by Hans Christian Oersted (1777–1851),
a Danish physics professor, in 1820. He noticed a compass needle deflecting whenever a nearby circuit was switched
on or off, investigated it, and published his findings — leading other scientists to explore the connection further.

Applications of the magnetic effect of current: electromagnets, electric bells, motors, fans, loudspeakers, and
more.

4.1.1 Electromagnets
Activity 4.2 & 4.3 — Building and Testing an Electromagnet
• A wire wrapped around an iron nail and connected to a cell can pick up iron paper clips — but only while
current flows.
• A coil of insulated wire (without any core) also deflects a compass and can weakly attract clips when current
flows.
 • Inserting an iron nail inside the coil makes the magnetic effect much stronger — greater compass deflection
and stronger attraction of clips.
• When current stops, the coil/nail loses its magnetic effect completely.
Electromagnet: A current-carrying coil that behaves like a magnet is called an electromagnet. Most practical
electromagnets use an iron core to make them stronger, since iron is easily magnetised and demagnetised.
Activity 4.4 — Poles of an Electromagnet
Testing the two ends (A and B) of an electromagnet with a compass shows that, just like a bar magnet, an
electromagnet has two poles — North and South — and the polarity at the two ends is always opposite to each
other.
Think Like a Scientist — Factors Affecting Electromagnet Strength
• More cells (larger current) → stronger magnetic field → more deflection and more clips attracted.
• More turns in the coil → stronger electromagnet.
• Reversing the direction of current → reverses the polarity (N and S poles swap).
Summary rule: The strength of an electromagnet increases with (a) the amount of current flowing through the
coil, and (b) the number of turns in the coil. Its polarity can be reversed by reversing the direction of current.
A Step Further — Earth's Magnetism
Deep inside the Earth, the movement of liquid iron in the core creates electric currents, which generate a
magnetic field — this is why Earth behaves like a giant magnet. Migratory birds, fish, and animals use this field
to navigate. It also shields the Earth from harmful particles from space, helping protect life.

4.1.2 Lifting Electromagnets

Lifting electromagnets are very strong electromagnets hung from cranes. The operator switches the current ON to
magnetise the electromagnet and lift iron/steel objects, and switches it OFF to drop them (as the magnetic field
disappears). These are widely used in factories and scrap yards to move, lift, and sort heavy metal items
efficiently.

4.2 Does a Current Carrying Wire Get Hot?

Activity 4.5 — Heating Effect in a Nichrome Wire

• A nichrome wire connected to a cell through a switch feels cool when the switch is OFF.
• After the switch is turned ON for about 30 seconds and then OFF, the nichrome wire feels distinctly warm.
Explanation: When electric current flows through any conductor, the conductor offers some opposition, called
resistance, to the flow of current. A nichrome wire has higher resistance than a copper wire of the same size and
length. This resistance converts some electrical energy into heat energy, warming the conductor. This is called the
heating effect of electric current.
Think Like a Scientist
Repeating the activity with 2 cells (instead of 1) produces more heating in the same duration, because heat
generated depends on the magnitude of the current — a larger current produces more heat. Overall, the heat
generated in a wire depends on: the material of the wire, its thickness, its length, and the duration for which
current flows.

Household and Industrial Applications

Devices that work on the heating effect of electric current use a heating element (a rod or coil of resistant wire,
often visible glowing red-hot):
• Electric room heaters
 • Electric stoves
• Electric kettles
• Electric irons
• Water-heating immersion rods
• Hair dryers
• Incandescent lamps (filament heated until it glows)
Industrial use: High-temperature electric furnaces in steel manufacturing use the heating effect of current to melt
and recycle scrap steel into usable steel.

Safety note: Overheating can damage plugs/sockets (melting plastic parts) and even cause fires. Always use wires,
plugs, and sockets rated for the correct current, and never touch a current-carrying heating wire for an extended
period.

4.3 How Does a Battery Generate Electricity?

4.3.1 Voltaic (Galvanic) Cell

A Voltaic cell consists of two rods of different metals (electrodes), partly dipped in an electrolyte (a weak acid or
salt solution), placed in a container. A chemical reaction between the electrodes and electrolyte produces
electricity. When connected in a circuit, current flows from the positive terminal through the external circuit to
the negative terminal. Over time the chemicals are used up and the cell becomes 'dead', unable to supply more
electricity.

History: Named after Italian scientists Alessandro Volta and Luigi Galvani. Galvani noticed a dead frog's leg twitch
when touched with two different metals and believed the electricity came from the frog. Volta showed instead that the
electricity came from the combination of two different metals and a liquid (electrolyte) — using saltwater-soaked
paper in place of the frog's leg — leading to the invention of the first battery.

Activity 4.6 — Lemon (Voltaic) Cell

• Insert a copper wire/strip and an iron nail into a lemon, kept apart.
• Repeat for 5–6 lemons and connect them in series (copper of one to iron nail of the next).
• Connecting an LED across the free copper wire and free iron nail makes the LED glow (if it doesn't, reverse
the LED's connections, since an LED only conducts when connected in the correct polarity).
Here, the copper wires and iron nails are the electrodes, and lemon juice (a mild acid) is the electrolyte that
conducts electricity. Salt solution can also be used instead of lemon juice.
Common metal-pairs for Voltaic cells: zinc/copper, zinc/silver, aluminium/copper, iron/copper,
magnesium/copper, lead/copper. Some metals (like copper) tend to act as positive electrodes and others (like
zinc) as negative electrodes, due to their chemical properties.

4.3.2 Dry Cells

Dry cells are the most widely used cells today. They are called 'dry' because the electrolyte is a thick moist paste
rather than a liquid.
• Zinc container: acts as the negative terminal (also holds the paste-electrolyte).
• Carbon rod (at the centre, covered with a metal cap): acts as the positive terminal.
• Electrolyte: a paste surrounding the carbon rod.
A dry cell is a single-use cell — once used up, it must be disposed of (and ideally recycled).
4.3.3 Rechargeable Batteries
Rechargeable batteries can be charged and reused multiple times, reducing waste and saving money. They are
used in watches, phones, laptops, tablets, inverters, and electric vehicles. However, they too wear out gradually
after being charged and used many times — which is why an old phone's battery needs charging more frequently.

A Step Further: Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are the most common rechargeable batteries today, relying on lithium
and cobalt, which are mined in limited parts of the world. Scientists are developing solid-state batteries, which replace
liquid/paste electrolytes with solid materials, promising batteries that are safer, charge faster, and last longer —
important for a cleaner energy future. Even a 'dead' battery is not completely safe to discard: it may still contain acids
or metals like lead, cadmium, nickel, or lithium that can cause fires or environmental harm. Batteries should be
disposed of through e-waste recycling facilities.

Snapshots (Chapter Summary)

• When electric current flows through a conductor, it produces a magnetic field around it — the magnetic
effect of electric current.
• A current-carrying coil that behaves as a magnet is called an electromagnet; an iron core makes it stronger.
• Generation of heat in a conductor due to the flow of electric current is the heating effect of electric current.
• A cell or battery generates electric current through chemical reactions taking place inside it.
• Rechargeable batteries can be recharged and reused multiple times.
Exercise Solutions — Keep the Curiosity Alive
1. Fill in the blanks:
Answer: (i) The solution used in a Voltaic cell is called the electrolyte.
Answer: (ii) A current carrying coil behaves like a magnet (an electromagnet).
2. Choose the correct option:
Answer: (i) False — Dry cells are actually more portable and convenient than Voltaic cells (which use a
liquid electrolyte); that is why dry cells are more widely used.
Answer: (ii) True — A coil shows magnetic (electromagnet) behaviour only as long as electric current flows
through it; the effect disappears once the current stops.
Answer: (iii) False — A single cell provides a smaller current, so the electromagnet is weaker and attracts
fewer clips. A battery of 2 cells provides a larger current, producing a stronger magnetic field that attracts
more clips — so the single-cell electromagnet actually attracts fewer clips, not more.
3. An electric current flows through a nichrome wire for a short time. (i) The wire becomes warm. (ii) A
magnetic compass placed below the wire is deflected.
Answer: (c) Both (i) and (ii) are correct. Current flowing through any conductor produces both a heating
effect (due to resistance) and a magnetic effect (a magnetic field around the wire), so the nichrome wire gets
warm and also deflects a nearby compass needle.
4. Match the items in Column A with those in Column B.
Column A Column B

(i) Voltaic cell (d) Generates electricity by chemical reactions

(ii) Electric iron (a) Best suited for electric heater

(iii) Nichrome wire (c) Works on heating effect of electric current

(iv) Electromagnet (b) Works on magnetic effect of electric current

5. Nichrome wire is commonly used in electrical heating devices because it —

Answer: (ii) generates more heat for a given current. Nichrome has higher electrical resistance than a
conductor like copper of the same size, so when current flows through it, more electrical energy is converted
to heat — making it ideal for heating elements. (It is not chosen for being cheaper or being an insulator — in
fact it is a good conductor, just one with relatively high resistance.)
6. Why are electric heating devices (like an electric heater or a stove) often considered more convenient
than traditional heating methods (like burning firewood or charcoal)? Give reasons considering societal
impact.
Answer: Electric heating devices are more convenient and beneficial to society for several reasons: (a) they
produce no smoke or harmful fumes, so they don't pollute indoor or outdoor air and don't harm the health of
the people using them; (b) they don't require storing, chopping, or transporting fuel like firewood or charcoal,
saving effort, time, and often reducing deforestation; (c) they can be turned ON/OFF instantly and their heat
output can be precisely controlled with a switch or dial, unlike a fire which is harder to control; (d) they are
generally cleaner and safer to use indoors, with lower risk of accidental fires from stray sparks or embers; and
 (e) electricity can be generated from a variety of sources, including renewable ones, making heating
potentially more sustainable over time.
7. Look at Fig. 4.4a. If the compass placed near the coil deflects:
Answer: (i) The current flows from the positive terminal of the cell, through the connecting wire, into the
coil wound around the nail (in the direction the coil is wound, end to end), and back through the other wire to
the negative terminal of the cell — an arrow should be drawn following this path along the circuit in the
direction from + to – outside the cell.
Answer: (ii) The compass needle moves because the current flowing through the coil produces a magnetic
field around it, turning the coil into an electromagnet. Since the compass needle itself is a tiny magnet, it
experiences a force due to this magnetic field and gets deflected from its usual North–South direction.
Answer: (iii) If the battery terminals are reversed, the direction of current in the coil reverses. This reverses
the polarity (N and S poles) of the electromagnet, so the compass needle would now deflect in the opposite
direction compared to before.
8. Suppose Sumana forgets to move the switch of her lifting electromagnet model to OFF position. After
some time, the iron nail no longer picks up the iron paper clips, but the wire wrapped around the iron nail
is still warm. Why did the lifting electromagnet stop lifting the clips? Give possible reasons.
Answer: Leaving the circuit connected for a long time causes the cell to weaken and its chemicals to get used
up faster (as cautioned in Activity 4.2 — connecting a cell for more than a few seconds can weaken it
quickly). As the cell weakens, the current flowing through the coil decreases, which weakens the magnetic
field produced, until it is no longer strong enough to attract and hold the iron paper clips. Meanwhile, the
wire can still feel warm because even a reduced current flowing through the resistance of the wire continues
to generate some heat (heating effect does not require as strong a current as the magnetic lifting effect does),
and heat that has already built up in the wire takes time to dissipate.
9. In Fig. 4.12, in which case will the LED glow when the switch is closed?
Answer: (a) The LED will glow in the lemon juice setup. Lemon juice is a mild acid and acts as a good
electrolyte, allowing a chemical reaction between the copper strip and iron nail electrodes to generate a
current, which lights the LED (with correct polarity).
Answer: (b) The LED will not glow in the pure water setup. Pure water is a very poor conductor and does
not act as an effective electrolyte, so essentially no current is generated between the electrodes, and the LED
remains off.
10. Neha keeps the coil exactly the same as in Activity 4.4 but slides the iron nail out, leaving only the
coiled wire. Will the coil still deflect the compass? If yes, will the deflection be more or less than before?
Answer: Yes, the coil will still deflect the compass, because a current-carrying coil produces a magnetic field
on its own, even without an iron core. However, the deflection will be less than before, because the iron core
strengthens the magnetic field of the coil (iron gets magnetised and adds to the field); without the iron nail,
the coil is a weaker electromagnet.
11. We have four coils of similar shape and size, made from iron, copper, aluminium, and nichrome (Fig.
4.13). When current is passed through the coils, compass needles placed near the coils will show deflection
—
Answer: (iv) In all four circuits. The magnetic effect of an electric current depends on the current flowing
through the wire, not on what metal the wire is made of. Iron, copper, aluminium, and nichrome are all
conductors, so current flows through all four coils (though the amount of current may differ slightly because
these metals have different resistances), and each current-carrying coil produces its own magnetic field that
will deflect a nearby compass needle.