circuit breaker

     

A circuit breaker is an automatically-operate electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. Unlike a fuse, which operates once and then has to be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (either manually or automatically) to resume normal operation. Circuit breakers are made in varying sizes, from small devices that protect an individual household appliance up to large switchgear designed to protect high voltage circuits feeding an entire city.

Trivia about circuit breaker

  • To reset a tripped one of these in your house, flip it over to full "off" before returning it to "on"
  • 2-word term for an automatic trading halt during selling frenzies, or for an electrical safety device
  • (Sarah of the Clue Crew reports from inside the New York Stock Exchange.) If the Dow Jones Industrial Average declines more than 10% in a day, trading is halted to prevent a market slide; it's a safety feature called this 2-word term, also a device that protects homes from electrical overloads

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