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Word Origin and Invention Origin David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Michael Faraday of England and Joseph Henry of the USA during the 1830's simultaneously discovered that a changing magnetic field near a wire induces a current in that wire. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Also, running current through a wire induces a magnetic field around that wire. Joseph Henry had a coil of wire in his laboratory that he would run current through to create an electro-magnet. He used this electro-magnet to turn a switch on and off, creating one of the first electric relays. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Then in the 1880's, William Stanley used a combination of these principles to create the first practical alternating current transformer and began the era of AC electricity for home use. Superior to DC for long distance transmission, we still use AC electricity for house wiring today. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Inductors are curious devices, capable of both creating magnetic fields and of being highly effected by them. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Synonyms: Reactor, Choke, Coil David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Simple Explanation David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Have you ever made your own electro-magnet? It's quite simple; whenever electrons move, they create a magnetic field; so, to get a strong magnetic field all you need to do is wind a long wire around a core object (like a nail) and then run electrons (current) through the wire. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Have you ever made your own electric generator? That is fairly easy too; whenever a magnetic field changes, an electromotive force occurs, which means that electrons in the vicinity feel pressure and want to move; so, take the same nail that you wrapped wire around for the electro-magnet, and rub a regular magnet back and forth over the wire wrappings. A small alternating current will appear in the wire while you rub. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Those two properties are the essence of what makes an inductor work. An inductor is the same thing as your home-made electro-magnet & David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

So, guess what happens because of that magnetic field? The field can't decrease without creating a current, so we have “stored” an electric current! Now that's weird. And that is a simple explanation of what we call inductance. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Whenever a magnetic field changes in intensity or direction over a specific location, an electromotive force occurs in that location, which causes, or shall we say “induces,” electrons to move... this is called magnetic induction. The unique configuration of an inductor allows it to efficiently capture this electromotive force in a wire David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

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Value Explained David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Inductance is measured in units of henrys. In simplest terms, a henry describes the capacity of a device to be effected electrically by a changing magnetic field. Just like the capacitor stores an electron charge as long as it has captured an electric field between its electrode plates, in the same way an inductor stores an electron current as long as it has “captured” a magnetic field around its coils. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

As you might guess, since electrons flow through a circuit, and when electrons move they create a magnetic field, every part of a circuit generates a small amount of inductance. Oftentimes we consider this inductance to be negligible in most circuit elements. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

The mathematical description for inductance is very similar to the description for capacitance. Capacitance describes not just a charge storage capacity but also an electric field capacity; in the same way, inductance describes not just a “current storage” capacity but also a magnetic field capacity. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

The simplest inductor (mathematically) is the toroidal core inductor. Like a parallel plate capacitor, a toroidal core inductor is defined by its geometry and a constant, called “permeability,” that describes the magnetic qualities of the core material. Here is the equation for inductance in a toroidal core inductor, compare it to the equation for capacitance in a parallel plate capacitor. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

L David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	= David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	� David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	N2�r2 David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
			D David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Where: David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	L = inductance (in henrys) David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
	μ = the absolute permeability of the core (in henrys per meter; H/m) David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
	N = the number of wire wraps, called “turns” or “windings” David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
	r = the radius of the wire wraps (in meters) David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
	D = the overall diameter of the toroid (in meters) David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

And David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

μ = μrμo David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Where: David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	μr = the relative permeability of the core (unitless) David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
	μo = 4& David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

To denote their value, some inductors use the same color codes as resistors. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Units David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Inductance is measured in units of henrys, designated by the Arabic letter “H”. In simplest terms, a henry describes the capacity of a device to be effected electrically by a changing magnetic field. For more information, see the “Value Explained” section. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Here is a breakdown of the henry unit of measure: David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

H David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	= David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	Wb David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again. >	= David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	V David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	s David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	= David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	(kg � m2) David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
		A David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.			A David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.		(s2 � A2) David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Where: David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	Wb = Webers David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
	A = Amps David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
	V = Volts David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
	s = Seconds David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
	kg = Kilograms David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
	m = Meters David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Kinds and their Uses David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

• General – David Hazel:
  David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again. An inductor is usually constructed as a coil of conducting material, typically copper wire, wrapped around a core either of air or of ferromagnetic material. Core materials with a higher permeability than air confine the magnetic field closely to the inductor, thereby increasing the inductance. Inductors come in many shapes. Most are constructed as enamel coated wire wrapped around a ferrite bobbin with wire exposed on the outside, while some enclose the wire completely in ferrite and are called "shielded". Wikipedia:
  Undoubtedly, you already know how usefull wikipedia can be.
• Variable – David Hazel:
  David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again. Some inductors have an adjustable core, which enables changing the inductance. David Hazel:
  David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
• Planar Core & Printed Circuit Board – David Hazel:
  David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again. Small inductors can be etched directly onto a printed circuit board by laying out the trace in a spiral pattern. Some such planar inductors use a planar core. Wikipedia:
  Undoubtedly, you already know how usefull wikipedia can be.
• IC, Aluminum Interconnect, and Gyrator – David Hazel:
  David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again. Small value inductors can also be built on integrated circuits using the same processes that are used to make transistors. In these cases, aluminium interconnect is typically used as the conducting material. However, practical constraints make it far more common to use a circuit called a "gyrator" which uses a capacitor and active components to behave similarly to an inductor. Wikipedia:
  Undoubtedly, you already know how usefull wikipedia can be.
• Transformer – This is a pair of hybrid inductors placed close side by side. They transmit and transform AC voltage via magnetic field. Transformers are used extensively in the electric utility power grid. You likely have a transformer outside your house that lowers the extremely high power-line voltage to the lower voltage that runs in house wiring. David Hazel:
  David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
• Reactors – This is the name given to large, often high power, inductors that are used to “react” and depress large, dangerous currents from lightning strikes and other unexpected events. David Hazel:
  David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
• Choke – These are inductors used to “choke” out AC electricity and only allow DC to pass through. David Hazel:
  David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Unlike resistors and capacitors, the larger size and weight of most inductors makes them difficult to use widely in circuits. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Inductors at High Frequencies David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Inductors, like capacitors, have a world of useful features in the presence of frequency. Inductors tend to block high frequencies and let low frequencies pass through, this is the opposite of the effect that capacitors have. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Capacitors and inductors will work together to make a circuit resonate if tuned correctly, and are commonly used for emphasizing and/or filtering out certain frequencies in radio circuitry. David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Inductors in Series: David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Equations and Formulas David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Ltotal=L1+L2+L3 David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

Inductors in Parallel: David Hazel:
David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.

1 David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	= David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	1 David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	+ David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	1 David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	+ David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.	1 David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.
Ltotal David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.		L1 David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.		L2 David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.		L3 David Hazel: David Hazel has been a key player for VCI since April of 2008. Not only is he a blast to have around the shop, but as our inhouse engineer, his knowledge and skill-sets have proven invaluable time and time again.