Electrical load

Figure 1. A simplified circuit diagram showing a power source and load.

An electrical load is simply any component of a circuit that consumes power or energy. In a household setting, the most obvious examples of electrical loads include light bulbs and appliances. In a more general sense, any resistor or electric motor in a circuit that converts electrical energy into light, heat, or useful motion constitutes a load on the circuit. Simplified circuit diagrams usually show the load with the symbol for resistors (see Figure 1).

The load of a circuit is inversely proportional to current flow as bigger loads lower the current in a circuit. However, if no significant load is present in a closed circuit, a short circuit will result and potentially cause significant damage.

For Further Reading

For further information please see the related pages below:

• Electric circuit
• Light bulb
• Battery
• Capacitor
• Resistor
• Or explore a random page!