Regarding resistivity in heating coils

[s3nka]

I have a question regarding "ohm level" in a heating element in the design of a device designed to vaporize a liquid.

I thought I had a pretty solid understanding of this but I've been told that I was wrong.

So, I thought that if you increase the resistance (higher ohm) in a heating element within a circuit you would also increase the amount of energy lost as heat which would also mean that the heating element would get hotter compared to a device with lower resistance (lower ohm).

Another designer told me that it's the other way around. The lower the "ohms" the hotter the heating element will become one the circuit is closed.

This makes absolutely no sense to me because in my understanding the larger the resistance the more energy is dissipated as heat and therefore the hotter the heating element becomes.

Could someone explain to me where I am making an error in my understanding?

Thank you ladies and gentlemen

 

[Chestermiller]

Hi s3nka. Welcome to physics forums.

The heating rate is E²/R, so, for fixed E, the heating rate increases with decreasing resistance.

Chet

 

[s3nka]

Thanks for the quick response but I still don't quite understand why that if you have more resistance there isn't more electrical energy lost as heat and as a result more heat dissipated by the heating element (resistor)

 

[Vanadium 50]

Because if the resistance is too high, not very much current is flowing.

 

[sardar]

Hello there,

Thank you for bringing up your question regarding resistivity in heating coils. I can understand how this may seem confusing, but let me provide some clarification.

First, it is important to understand that resistivity is a measure of a material's ability to resist the flow of electricity. This means that a material with high resistivity will require more electrical energy to flow through it compared to a material with lower resistivity.

In the case of heating coils, the resistivity of the material used will determine the amount of heat generated. This is because as electrical energy flows through the material, it encounters resistance and this resistance causes the energy to be converted into heat.

Now, to address your question about the "ohm level" in a heating element. The ohm level, or resistance level, does indeed play a role in determining the amount of heat generated. In general, a higher resistance (higher ohm) will result in more heat being generated compared to a lower resistance (lower ohm). This is because with higher resistance, there is more resistance for the electrical energy to overcome, resulting in more heat being generated.

In your understanding, you are correct in stating that a larger resistance will result in more energy being dissipated as heat and therefore a hotter heating element. The other designer may have been referring to the current passing through the heating element. In general, a lower resistance will allow for a higher current to flow through, which can result in a hotter heating element. However, this does not necessarily mean that a lower resistance will result in more heat being generated overall.

I hope this explanation has helped to clear up any confusion. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Thank you.