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A short circuit is an abnormal connection between two nodes of an electric circuit intended to be at different voltages. This results in an electric current limited only by the Thévenin equivalent resistance of the rest of the network which can cause circuit damage, overheating, fire or explosion.
The article refers briefly to "open circuit" as the opposite of a short circuit. Someone might elaborate on that, perhaps in a separate article. Most commercial power circuitry today provides a fixed voltage, and a short circuit causes the system to attempt to supply unsafe amounts of current to maintain a constant voltage.
Analysis of the prospective short-circuit current is required for selection of protective devices such as fuses and circuit breakers. If a circuit is to be properly protected, the fault current must be high enough to operate the protective device within as short a time as possible; also the protective device must be able to withstand the fault ...
short-circuit test A test of machines or apparatus where the load terminals are directly connected; usually done at reduced power to prevent damage, but destructive short circuit testing may be carried out on circuit protective devices. short circuit A path in a circuit that has negligible resistance; often un-intended, a fault. shunt
If connected in series with the circuit it simply prevents reversed current, but if connected in parallel it can shunt the reversed supply, causing a fuse or other current limiting circuit to open. All semiconductor diodes have a threshold voltage – typically between 0.5 volt and 1 volt – that must be exceeded before significant current ...
Analog sensors and modulating actuators can usually be installed and wired such that the circuit failure results in an out-of-bound reading – see current loop. For example, a potentiometer indicating pedal position might only travel from 20% to 80% of its full range, such that a cable break or short results in a 0% or 100% reading.
The special cases of open circuit and short circuit lines are of particular relevance to stubs. Reflections cause standing waves to be set up on the line. Conversely, standing waves are an indication that reflections are present. There is a relationship between the measures of reflection coefficient and standing wave ratio.
The short circuit ratio (SCR) is an indicator of the strength of a network bus about the rated power of a device and is frequently used as a measure of system strength. A higher SCR value indicates a stronger system, meaning that the impact of disturbances on voltage and other variables will be minimized.