Final answer:
A manually operated circuit requires a person to take action for it to operate, contrasting with automatic mechanisms like fuses or circuit breakers. The force to move charge in a circuit is commonly supplied by a battery, and a manually operated circuit typically involves switches or buttons controlled by a user.
Step-by-step explanation:
A manually operated circuit is any circuit that requires a person to initiate an action for the circuit to operate. When a circuit is connected and complete, charge can move through the circuit. A force acts on the charges, doing work, to make them move, often provided by a battery in the circuit. Unlike automatic mechanisms such as fuses or circuit breakers, which are designed to disrupt a circuit when current exceeds a certain threshold, a manually operated circuit relies on active human intervention to control its function.
Examples of these actions include turning a switch on or off, pressing a button, or inserting a plug into a socket. This contrasts with an unintended short circuit, which is a low-resistance path between terminals of a voltage source that can occur without human intervention and potentially lead to circuit damage.
RC Circuits are a type of circuit where a resistor R and a capacitor C are used. A capacitor is an electrical component that stores electric charge and releases it under control within a circuit.