Joule's law (Joule heating)
Ley de Joule (efecto Joule)
- Date
- diciembre de 1840 · confidence high
- Place
- Manchester, England, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- James Prescott Joule
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
Joule immersed conducting wires in water and measured the temperature rise for different currents, showing that the heat generated is proportional to the square of the current times the resistance. The law quantified for the first time the dissipation of electrical energy as heat, now known as Joule heating.
What it led to
- Principle of conservation of energy (thermodynamics)
- Design of electrical resistors and fuses