A fuse is a very important device used for protecting electric circuits. It is a wire made out of a metal like tin or tin alloy having a very low melting point. When a high current flows through a circuit, the fuse wire gets heated or melts due to short circuiting or overloading. Hence the circuit is broken and the current stops flowing. This saves all the appliances of the circuit.

Fuse wires are of various capacities. A fuse with 5 ampere capacity will be thinner than a fuse with 15 ampere capacity. A fuse of 5 amps is used in circuits where lights and fans are connected whereas a fuse of 15 amps is used in power circuits where appliances like electric heater, geyser, electric iron and air conditioner are connected.