Final answer:
The statement in the student's question is inaccurate; The anodic area, not the cathodic, corrodes in the corrosion process. Cathodic protection is a method used to safeguard metals from corrosion by making them act as cathodes, with other materials serving as sacrificial anodes to corrode instead.
Step-by-step explanation:
Corrosion is an electrochemical process where metals deteriorate primarily through oxidation. Contrary to the statement in the question, it is the anodic area that corrodes, not the cathodic. At the anodic site, metal is oxidized, losing electrons to become positive ions. Meanwhile, at the cathodic area, reduction occurs, usually involving the gain of electrons from the surrounding environment, which does not lead to deterioration of the cathode material.
To protect metals from corrosion, we employ cathodic protection. This involves making the metal to be protected a cathode so that it does not corrode. One approach is galvanization, where a thin layer of zinc serves as the sacrificial anode. The zinc corrodes instead of the underlying metal. Another method uses sacrificial anodes, typically made of a more reactive metal that will corrode in place of the protected metal.
Therefore, the statement in the student's question is inaccurate; it is the anodic material that corrodes during the corrosion process. Cathodic protection aims to prevent this corrosion by ensuring that the protected metal functions as a cathode, making another material the anode which then corrodes.