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inductor

Also known as passive two terminal, choke

An inductor, also called a coil, choke, or reactor, is a passive two-terminal electrical component that stores energy in a magnetic field when an electric current flows through it. An inductor typically consists of an insulated wire wound into a coil.

AI overview

An inductor is an electrical component made from coiled wire that stores energy in a magnetic field when electricity flows through it. It matters because this ability to store and release magnetic energy makes it useful for controlling electrical currents and power in countless devices and circuits.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Electronic component.component: Inductor
Electronic component.image: Electronic component inductors.jpg
Electronic component.caption: A selection of low-value inductors
Electronic component.type: Passive
Electronic component.working_principle: Electromagnetic induction
Electronic component.invented: Michael Faraday
Electronic component.symbol: 100px
Electronic component.invention_Year: 1831
Electronic component.terminal_number: 2

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image: Electronic component inductors.jpg

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Commons category: Inductors
Commons gallery: Inductor

Sources (4)

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~41 min read

Article

32 sections

Contents

Description
Constitutive equation
Lenz's law
Energy stored in an inductor
Derivation
Voltage step response
Ideal and real inductors
''Q'' factor
Applications
Inductor construction
Shielded inductors
Types
Air-core inductor
Radio-frequency inductor
Ferromagnetic-core inductor
Laminated-core inductor
Ferrite-core inductor
Powdered-iron-core inductor <span class="anchor" id="powdered_iron_anchor"></span>
Toroidal-core inductor
Variable inductor
Choke
Circuit analysis
Reactance
Corner frequency
Laplace circuit analysis ({{mvar|s}}-domain)
Inductor networks
Mutual inductance
Inductance formulas
See also
Notes
References
External links

When the current flowing through the coil changes, the time-varying magnetic field induces an electromotive force (emf), or voltage, in the conductor, described by Faraday's law of induction. According to Lenz's law, the induced voltage has a polarity (direction) which opposes the change in current that created it. As a result, inductors oppose any changes in current through them.