How Inductors Work: Coils, Magnetic Fields and Stored Energy

Automatically transcribed from the original recording. Small transcription errors may remain.

Ah, inductors. These little guys have been around since the dawn of electricity, and they've been a staple in the electrical world ever since. So, inductors, simply put, on its simplest terms, are just coils of wire. That's it, just a coiled up wire. But the magic happens when you apply a current to the coil. You see, an inductor has this unique property of resisting changes in current flow. Basically, it doesn't like change and it fights against it. Think of it like your grandma and her old school cooking recipes. You can't change the ingredients of the cooking process or else grandma's going to have a little fit, you understand?

That's what an inductor does with current. It's your grandma. It wants to keep things the same. Now this property of inductors is incredibly important. In fact, it's the foundation of transformers and electric motors. Transformers are the backbone of our electrical grid, and they use inductors to step up and step down voltage levels. Motors, on the other hand, use the inductors to create magnetic fields that cause rotation. So how does an inductor actually work? Well, let's use a simple example. If you have a current flowing through a coil, it creates a magnetic field.

And if you suddenly stop the current flow, the magnetic field collapses and produces a voltage in the opposite direction of the original current flow. This is known as Faraday's Law of Induction. This means that inductors can be used to store energy in the form of a magnetic field and release it as needed. This is what makes inductors so crucial in so many electrical applications. Now you can find inductors in common household appliances such as your power supply for your computer or motors and generators and transformers on your common everyday appliances.

So in a world where electricity is king, inductors are the knights in shining armor. They help regulate the flow of current and store energy for when it's needed most. So, the next time you're using your hairdryer or charging your phone, take a moment to appreciate the little coiled-up wire that's helped making it all possible.