What happens to a motor when it is put under load?

When a motor is put under load, it typically slows down to its rated operating speed. This is a fundamental characteristic of how electric motors operate. When a load is applied, the motor draws more current to produce the necessary torque to overcome that load. As the motor experiences this increased load, it compensates by reducing its rotational speed until it reaches the balance of torque production and mechanical requirements.

This behavior ensures that the motor operates efficiently within its designed parameters, maintaining performance without exceeding the rated specifications. If the load is too great, the motor might not be able to reach its rated speed, and could potentially stall or go into overload protection, but it will always strive to stabilize at its rated operating speed under normal conditions.

The other options suggest less typical motor responses to load, such as speeding up beyond rated speed, randomly fluctuating, or stopping altogether, which are not standard outcomes for a motor under load in typical operational scenarios.