What provides overcurrent protection for each electrical circuit?

Overcurrent protection is a critical aspect of electrical system safety, ensuring that circuits do not carry more current than they can safely handle. This is essential to prevent overheating, potential fires, and damage to electrical components.

A circuit breaker effectively serves this purpose by automatically interrupting the electrical flow when it detects an overcurrent condition. This interruption occurs due to an internal mechanism that trips the breaker when the current exceeds a predetermined limit, allowing for safe operation and easy reset after resolving the issue that caused the overload.

While a fuse also offers overcurrent protection, it functions differently; fuses need to be replaced once they blow, whereas circuit breakers can simply be reset. Therefore, circuit breakers are often preferred for their convenience and reusability.

The other options, such as a voltage regulator and a surge protector, do not provide overcurrent protection. A voltage regulator manages voltage levels but does not monitor or interrupt current flow, while a surge protector safeguards against voltage spikes rather than excessive current.