Inductor

An inductor is a passive electrical device that stores energy in a magnetic field, typically by combining the effects of many loops of electric current.

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Overview

Inductance (measured in henrys) is an effect which results from the magnetic field that forms around a current carrying conductor. Energy stored in the magnetic field has two effects on the inductor, an electromotive force is generated which opposes the voltage applied to the inductor and current in the inductor tends to remain constant regardless of voltages applied to the inductor. Inductance can be increased by looping the conductor into a coil which causes magnetic flux from adjacent loops of the conductor to link.

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Stored energy

The energy (measured in joules, in SI) stored by an inductor is equal to the amount of work required to establish the current flowing through the inductor, and therefore the magnetic field. This is given by:

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: E_mathrm{stored} = {1 over 2} L I^2

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where I is the current flowing through the inductor.

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Energy: Energy is a fundamental quantity that every physical system possesses. Energy of physical system in a certain given state is defined as the amount of work W needed to change the state of the system from some initial state (called reference state or reference level) to the given state....

Magnetic field: :For other senses of this term, see magnetic field (disambiguation)....

Electric current: Electric current means, depending on the context, a flow of electric charge (a phenomenon) or the rate of flow of electric charge (a quantity)....