What characteristic do both magnetic and thermal-magnetic circuit breakers share?

Both magnetic and thermal-magnetic circuit breakers share the characteristic of using a spring-loaded electrical contact. This mechanism is common to both types of breakers as it allows them to interrupt the circuit upon detection of an overload or short circuit condition.

In a circuit breaker, the spring-loaded contact ensures that when the breaker trips due to electrical faults such as overloads or short circuits, the circuit is effectively opened. This design feature is crucial for protecting electrical circuits from damage caused by excessive current flow.

While some may think that thermal aspect or specific fault protection makes them similar, what genuinely defines their operation is how they mechanically control the electrical contacts during fault conditions. Thermal-magnetic circuit breakers specifically use thermal response for overload protection and magnetic response for short-circuit protection, but both still rely on the spring-loaded mechanism to effectively engage and disengage the circuit.

Other options suggest features that may not apply universally to both types of breakers. For instance, while thermal breakers operate on a bimetal strip mechanism, magnetic breakers do not; thus, that characteristic does not apply to both. Also, the ability to reset after an overload is generally true for many circuit breakers but can vary based on specific designs. Lastly, the mention of protecting against ground faults applies more typically