What wire would get hotter?

[overtaker]

What wire would get hotter, A 12 gauge with 12v. and 50amps running through it or a 12 gauge wire with 36v. and 16.66amps ? Both are 600 watts. Thanks.

[Tremorfalcon]

I'd say the one running 50amps. The way I learned it is amps is how much there is, and volts is the pressure at which it flows. I'd say how many amps it has going through it is the most important.

[mario brito]

What wire would get hotter, A 12 gauge with 12v. and 50amps running through it or a 12 gauge wire with 36v. and 16.66amps ? Both are 600 watts. Thanks.

I believe that 12V with 50Amps would get hotter. Consider Voltage as the "speed" of electricity and Amps as the "amount" of electricity.

Thanks

[donnylynn]

What wire would get hotter, A 12 gauge with 12v. and 50amps running through it or a 12 gauge wire with 36v. and 16.66amps ? Both are 600 watts. Thanks.


Definetly the higher current. The power dissipated in the wire(as heat) can be calculated as the current (in amps) squared times the resistance (in ohms) of the wire. The operating voltage is irrelevant.

[Riddler250]

the 12ga wire would get hotter, when considering heat (resistance) always look at current (amps) I wouldnt recomend running 50a through 12ga wire for any period of time, heat will be your enemy. remember resistance equals heat and heat equals resistance. 12ga will not handle 50a i would use no smaller than 8ga. Ive seen cars catch fire from running too much current through too small wire.

[Q-Hack!]

Think about it this way... A burst of static electricity, like when you rub your feet on the carpet, is about 50,000 volts. Even a 24AWG wire can easily handle this discharge of static because it is only .0001 amps. However, once you start to raise that amperage the wire can't handle the current anymore.