Both draw too much current, and they are not the same fault. An overload is too much current down the path it was meant to take. A short is current finding a path it was never meant to have.
They can trip the same breaker, so people treat them as one problem with one answer -- reset it. The cause is different in each case, and so is what you do about it.
Picture the difference. An overload is the circuit doing its job with more load on it than it was sized for -- everything is connected the way it was meant to be, there is just too much of it. A short is a connection that should not exist at all, and the current that flows through it is limited only by whatever resistance happens to be in the way. Same trip, two different things to look for.
Check yourself: A breaker trips, you reset it, and it trips again. What now?
Answer: Stop and report it. A breaker that trips again after a reset is a fault to investigate, not a switch to keep operating.
The device opened because something on that circuit called for more current than it permits. Nothing about resetting it changes that condition, so the second trip is the same fault telling you the same thing.
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Written from the owner's poster for this lesson. Nothing added beyond what the poster states.
Written for Texas apprentices as free study material. The Texas apprentice licence is an application, not an exam (Occupations Code 1305.161), and nothing here counts as apprenticeship hours or continuing-education credit. VoltMark is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, PSI, TDLR, or any state or local licensing authority. Always follow your employer's safety programme and your supervising electrician.
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