Who amongst the following is a pioneer in discovering the heating effect of electric current ?

James Prescott Joule is the pioneer credited with discovering and mathematically defining the heating effect of electric current. In 1840, he conducted experiments by immersing wires in water and measuring the temperature rise as current flowed through them. His findings established that the heat produced in a conductor is directly proportional to the square of the current, the resistance of the conductor, and the time for which the current flows [2]. This principle, known as Joule's Law of Heating, explains why electrical energy is converted into heat due to collisions between conduction electrons and the conductor's atoms [3]. While other scientists like J.J. Thomson contributed to atomic theory and the discovery of the electron, Joule's work specifically laid the foundation for understanding the thermal dissipation of electrical energy in resistive circuits [4].

Sources

1. [2] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: Electricity > H = I2 > p. 189
2. [1] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: Electricity > 11.7.1 Practical Applications of Heating Effect of Electric Current > p. 190
3. [3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/joule-heating-effect
4. [4] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4360093/