Electrical loads. Simple question

[Mike2007]

This is simple question and maybe I have read it already? When energised phase and neutral come into direct contact we have a short circuit and huge rise in current flow.
When the voltage is running through a load (appliance) everything is fine?
I am probably misunderstanding how the power is being used in the appliance??

 

[Steve]

The appliance has a resistance. This stops too much current flowing.

For example a simple electric lamp. Its element is very thin, and it has a high resistance which slows down the current flow to merely a fraction of an amp.

 

[briwire]

The currents sole aim in life is to get from the phase to the neutral (simplified). An appliance uses that flow of current from phase to neutral to do work for us, heating, lighting, turning motors etc. All these have resisitance which keeps the current at a manageable rate. If there is a very low resistance, such as with a short circuit, a high and damaging current flows.