Elucidation of concept of electrical load

Swarna Lakshmi. R

Central University of Tamil Nadu, Tiruvarur

“Electricity and Magnetism” is one of the introductory courses in Physics at Graduate level. The concept of electrical load is found to be misunderstood by a substantial percentage of students. This misunderstanding is found to hinder their performance in advanced courses on “Electricity and Magnetism” and “Electronics”. The ambiguity arises due to: (a) denoting the load by the value of its resistance R_L, (b) lack in understanding of which quantity (power, voltage or current) increases when load is increased (c) denoting Power = V^2/R_L and Power = I^2 R_L. This article elucidates on this frequently used, yet often ambiguous concept of electrical load. An illustrative example that can help students at introductory level to assimilate the concept of electrical load is given for use in pedagogy.