Electric Toaster Converts Electricity into Heat
What's better than a crispy piece of buttered toast first thing in the morning? If you don't like standing by the stove waiting for your bread to brown, an electric toaster might be just right for you. As you probably know, machines like this convert electricity into heat to cook bread in an instant. But do you know how the electricity flowing into the toaster is converted into a completely different energy?
1. Get to know the electric toaster
Electric toasters take electricity from an electrical outlet and convert it into heat, which is very efficient. If you want your toast to cook quickly, you need a toaster that can put as much heat as possible onto the bread every second. To do this, according to the laws of physics, it needs to consume the maximum amount of electricity per second. In other words, it needs the highest power rating (wattage) you can find. A toaster with a higher power rating like a vintage bread toaster will always cook faster than a toaster with a lower power rating.
2. Electric toaster converts electrical energy into heat
Energy is a magical, invisible form of energy that allows you to do things. Heat is one source of energy, while electricity (generated by power plants and stored in items such as batteries) is another. You can't put a slice of bread on the battery to toast, and you shouldn't try either. But if you use an electric toaster, you can use electric toast. So what's the difference?
If you've ever looked down in an electric toaster like a beige toaster, you'll notice rows of glowing red lines facing the bread. When electricity is passed through these wires, they heat up and then send heat to the bread like dozens of tiny heat sinks.
WARNING: You should never touch these wires (called filaments or elements) with your fingers or any other objects, as they are very hot and carry high currents that could pass through your body, electrocute and injure you. If you need to remove some bread stuck in the toaster, be sure to unplug it first.
When electricity is passed through a wire, energy is transferred from one end of the wire to the other. The movement of energy is a bit like water running down a pipe. Electricity is carried along the wire by electrons (tiny particles inside the metal atoms that make up the wire). As the current flows, the electrons push and collide with each other and with atoms in the wire, releasing heat in the process. The thinner the wire, the higher the current, the more collisions will occur and the more heat will be generated.
