Question 566Electricity & Electronics - Assistant Engineer

The correct answer is D) Instantaneous current draw of 5,000 amperes. The thermal-magnetic circuit breaker is designed to trip when the current draw exceeds the rated capacity, either due to a sustained high current or an instantaneous spike in current. In this case, the breaker is rated for 500 amperes at full continuous load. An instantaneous current draw of 5,000 amperes would vastly exceed the breaker's rating, causing it to trip immediately to protect the alternator and associated electrical system. The other options, while potentially high current draws, do not exceed the breaker's rating enough to trigger an immediate trip.