We have to establish, in the first place, that short-circuit is a juxtaposed word made up of two terms such as “short” and “circuit”:
-Short has its etymological origin in Latin, exactly in the adjective “curtus”, which can be translated as “cut” or “short”.
-Circuit, on the other hand, also derives from Latin. In his case, he does so from the word “circuitus”, which comes, in turn, from the verb “circumeo” which means “to go around”.
According to abbreviationfinder, Short Circuit is short for SC. The notion of short circuit, also accepted as short circuit in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), refers to the electrical circuit that occurs accidentally when conductors of opposite poles come into contact, generating a discharge.
It can be said that a short circuit is a fault that is generated in an electrical line or in a device when two conductors that have different polarities come into contact due to the loss of their insulating cover. This causes the circuit to also lose its resistance and the balance provided by the so-called Ohm’s law.
According to this law postulated by Georg Simon Ohm, the potential difference registered at the ends of a certain conductor is proportional to the intensity of the current flowing through said conductor. The proportionality factor in the relationship between potential difference and current is known as electrical resistance.
When the unprotected ends of conductors of different polarity are joined, the electrical resistance cancels out and the short circuit occurs, sharply increasing the intensity of the current. There is also an increase in temperature that can even cause a fire.
To prevent damage caused by short circuits, electrical installations can be protected with fuses. This element has a wire or a sheet of metal inside: if the intensity of the electric current rises suddenly, the metal melts, causing the circuit to open.
Another protection mechanism against short circuits are automatic or differential switches, which also open the circuit and prevent the flow of current.
“Short circuit”, finally, is the title in Spanish of a comic science fiction film released in 1986 that revolves around a robot.
John Badham is the director of this science fiction feature film that narrates how a robot prototype, which responds to the name of Johny 5, manages to escape from its creators after a lightning strike alters its program and causes a malfunction. It is a prototype of a robot for military use that, however, its inventor intends to ensure that it has peaceful uses and in favor of society.
Steve Guttenberg, Ally Sheedy or Fisher Stevens are some of the actors who lead the cast of this film that had a sequel. This was called “Short Circuit II”, was released in 1988 and revolves around some toy robots that become a real business for certain dangerous characters.
This second production was directed by Kenneth Johnson and featured actors such as Fisher Stevens, Michael McKean and Cynthia Gibb, among others. Tim Blaney was in charge of giving the voice to Johnny 5, the protagonist robot.
