Short circuit of battery questions? Where does resistances get short circuited?

When a short circuit occurs, electrical current experiences little or no resistance because its path has been diverted from its normal direction of flow. This, in turn, produces excess heat and can damage or destroy an electrical appliance. It can also create a fire hazard and an electrical shock hazard if left unattended.

A short circuit happens when part of a wire carrying electricity touches another part of circuit or other conductive material, thus giving electricity a pathway which offers less resistance than the circuit is designed to handle. For example, if a wire becomes exposed & touches metal frame of a device, current can flow along the outside causing potential for injury and death if someone touches charged device. A short circuit provides electricity with a shorter path to ground or to equalize electrical potential across two terminals. Less distance means less resistance, thus producing more heat which can cause fire. To protect against short circuits, all materials and conductors in electrical equipment must be maintained regularly; wires must never be bent tightly or crimped as cord can easily fray. No circuit can be overloaded.                  

Short circuit is a low-resistance connection between two points in an electrical circuit through which current tends to flow rather than along intended path. Short circuit is an abnormal condition of relatively low resistance between two points of differing potential in a circuit, resulting in a flow of excess current.