6.7 - INDUCTANCE
Enroll to start learning
You’ve not yet enrolled in this course. Please enroll for free to listen to audio lessons, classroom podcasts and take practice test.
Interactive Audio Lesson
Listen to a student-teacher conversation explaining the topic in a relatable way.
Understanding Inductance
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Today, we’re diving into the concept of inductance! Can anyone tell me what inductance means in your own words?
Is it about how a coil can create a current?
Great start! Inductance refers to a coil's ability to induce an electromotive force (emf) due to changes in current. Remember the formula L = NΦ/I. Can anyone explain what each symbol represents?
L is inductance, N is the number of turns, Φ is the magnetic flux, and I is the current.
Correct! The values of these quantities and their relationships will help us understand many electromagnetic systems.
Why is it important to know about inductance?
Inductance allows us to predict how coils behave in circuits, especially when dealing with alternating currents. It’s fundamental in the design of many electrical devices.
Mutual Inductance
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Let’s discuss mutual inductance now. Can someone explain what it means?
It's when the current in one coil affects the other coil?
Exactly! When the current in one coil changes, it induces an emf in a neighboring coil. The effectiveness of this induction is quantified by mutual inductance, denoted as M. Can anyone provide me with an example of where we might see mutual inductance?
Transformers!
Right again! Transformers are prime applications of mutual inductance. We can calculate the value of mutual inductance for coaxial solenoids. The relationship between them can be expressed through M = μ₀n₁n₂πr²l. Does anyone remember what each of these symbols mean?
μ₀ is magnetic permeability, and n₁ and n₂ are the turn densities.
Great job! Understanding how to calculate mutual inductance helps us in designing efficient circuits.
Self-Inductance
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Now, let’s move to self-inductance! What does that term mean?
It’s how a coil can create an emf by changing its own current?
Exactly! When the current in the coil changes, it induces an emf that opposes that change. The formula here is L = NΦ/I, where L is the self-inductance, similar to mutual inductance but focused on a single coil. Why do you think the back emf is called 'back'?
Because it resists the change in current?
That's spot on! This behavior of self-inductance is crucial in many applications like motors and inductive switches.
Energy Storage in Inductance
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
A significant aspect we haven't touched on yet is the energy stored in inductance. Can anyone tell me how we calculate that?
Isn’t it the work done to establish the current?
Yes, exactly! The energy stored in an inductor is given by U = LI². How does this relate to mechanical kinetic energy?
It's similar to the formula for kinetic energy, right? Like mv².
Precisely! Just like mass measures inertia in physical systems, inductance measures inertia in electrical systems. This duality is what makes inductance a powerful concept in electronics.
Applications of Inductance
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Finally, let’s consider real-world applications of inductance. Can anyone name a device that uses self or mutual inductance?
AC generators!
Very good! AC generators convert mechanical energy into electrical energy through electromagnetic induction. They rely heavily on both self and mutual inductance. Can anyone foresee how these concepts we’ve learned tie together in a modern device?
Like how transformers use mutual inductance to step up or step down voltages?
Exactly! Understanding inductance is necessary for understanding not only generators and transformers but also inductors used in various circuits. They demonstrate how critical inductance is to our daily technology.
Introduction & Overview
Read summaries of the section's main ideas at different levels of detail.
Quick Overview
Standard
This section explains the concepts of inductance, including both mutual inductance and self-inductance. It highlights the relationship between magnetic flux, current, and the geometry of coils and emphasizes the importance of inductance in electromagnetic systems.
Detailed
Inductance
Inductance is a fundamental property of electrical coils that describes their ability to induce electromotive force (emf) based on variations in current. This section delves into two types of inductance: mutual inductance and self-inductance. Mutual inductance occurs when a change in current in one coil induces an emf in another coil, while self-inductance refers to the emf induced in a coil due to changes in its own current.
Key Points
- Magnetic Flux Relation: The magnetic flux through a coil is proportional to the current passing through it, expressed mathematically as Φ ∝ I.
- Inductance Definition: Inductance (L) is defined as the ratio of the flux linkage to the current (L = NΦ/I). It depends only on the coil's geometry and the properties of the material in which it is located.
- Units and Dimension: The SI unit of inductance is the henry (H), with dimensions of [M L² T⁻² A⁻²].
- Mutual Inductance: Described through the interaction between two coils, mutual inductance can be calculated for coaxial solenoids, which simplifies determining induced emf in one coil caused by the changing current in another.
- Self-Inductance: This measures how a coil reacts to changes in its own current, resulting in a back emf that opposes the change. In a long solenoid with n turns per unit length and a cross-sectional area A, the self-inductance is given as L = μ₀n²Al.
- Energy Storage: The work done to establish the current against self-induced emfs is stored as magnetic potential energy, which can be quantified.
Youtube Videos
Audio Book
Dive deep into the subject with an immersive audiobook experience.
Introduction to Inductance
Chapter 1 of 6
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
An electric current can be induced in a coil by flux change produced by another coil in its vicinity or flux change produced by the same coil. These two situations are described separately in the next two sub-sections. However, in both the cases, the flux through a coil is proportional to the current. That is, Φ α I.
Detailed Explanation
Inductance is a property of a coil that quantifies how much voltage can be induced in it due to a change in current (flux change) either from a nearby coil or from its own current variation. The statement 'Φ α I' means that the magnetic flux (Φ) enclosed by the coil is directly proportional to the electric current (I) flowing through it. Therefore, if the current through the coil changes, the magnetic flux also changes, which results in an induced voltage (emf) in the coil.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine you have a water tank (the coil). When you fill the tank with water (the current), the level of water (the magnetic flux) rises. If you then drain the tank (change the current), the level of water drops, which creates a wave of pressure in the pipes connected to it (induced voltage). This is similar to how changing current affects magnetic flux and induces a voltage in the coil.
Inductance and Geometry
Chapter 2 of 6
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
Further, if the geometry of the coil does not vary with time then, dΦ/dt ∝ dI/dt. For a closely wound coil of N turns, the same magnetic flux is linked with all the turns. When the flux Φ through the coil changes, each turn contributes to the induced emf. Therefore, a term called flux linkage is used which is equal to NΦ for a closely wound coil and in such a case NΦ ∝ I.
Detailed Explanation
The relationship between the change in flux and the change in current indicates that for a constant geometry, the rate at which flux changes over time (dΦ/dt) directly relates to how fast the current changes (dI/dt). For a coil with multiple turns (N), this situation becomes more pronounced since each turn experiences the same change in flux. The total flux linkage is represented as NΦ, and it tells us how the current through the coil correlates with the flux change. The inductance is defined as the proportionality constant relating these two quantities.
Examples & Analogies
Think of a multi-layer cake where each layer represents a turn of the coil. As you remove frosting (change the current) from the top layer and it reaches lower layers, those layers also lose frosting due to the flow of frosting down. Each layer feels a change in frosting equivalently; thus, when one layer loses frosting, all layers (turns of the coil) experience that change.
Definition of Inductance
Chapter 3 of 6
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
The constant of proportionality, in this relation, is called inductance. We shall see that inductance depends only on the geometry of the coil and intrinsic material properties. This aspect is akin to capacitance which for a parallel plate capacitor depends on the plate area and plate separation (geometry) and the dielectric constant K of the intervening medium (intrinsic material property).
Detailed Explanation
Inductance is a fundamental property of coils that reflects how effectively they can store magnetic energy and induce voltage in response to changing current. The inductance (measured in henries) is determined not only by the physical dimensions of the coil (geometry) but also by the material properties, such as its magnetic permeability. This is similar to how a capacitor's capacitance depends on its size and the materials between its plates. A larger inductance means the coil can store more energy.
Examples & Analogies
Think of inductance like a giant sponge (the coil) that can soak up water (magnetic energy). The size and material of the sponge - whether it's made of cotton or silicone - determine how much water it can absorb at once. Similarly, a coil's inductance tells you how much magnetic 'energy' it can hold as the current changes.
Inductance Units and Dimensions
Chapter 4 of 6
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
Inductance is a scalar quantity. It has the dimensions of [M L2 T–2 A–2] given by the dimensions of flux divided by the dimensions of current. The SI unit of inductance is henry and is denoted by H. It is named in honour of Joseph Henry who discovered electromagnetic induction in USA, independently of Faraday in England.
Detailed Explanation
Inductance is measured as a scalar quantity, which implies it has magnitude but no direction. Its dimensions involve mass (M), length (L), time (T), and electric current (A), leading to the derived unit 'henry' (H). This unit represents how much electromotive force (voltage) is induced per unit of current change, showcasing the direct relationship between flux change and current change.
Examples & Analogies
Consider measuring how large a water tank is. We describe the tank's size by the volume unit (liters, for instance) which is similar to how we measure inductance in henries. Just as a larger tank can hold more water, a higher inductance means more voltage generation capability when current changes.
Mutual Inductance
Chapter 5 of 6
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
Consider Fig. 6.12 which shows two long co-axial solenoids each of length l. We denote the radius of the inner solenoid S1 by r1 and the number of turns per unit length by n1. The corresponding quantities for the outer solenoid S2 are r2 and n2, respectively. Let N1 and N2 be the total number of turns of coils S1 and S2, respectively. When a current I is set up through S2, it in turn sets up a magnetic flux through S1.
Detailed Explanation
Mutual inductance is the phenomenon where an electrically induced current in one coil (say S2) produces a magnetic field that can affect another coil placed nearby (S1). The induced magnetic flux in S1 depends on the current in S2. This process is mathematically expressed as flux linkage (Φ) in S1 equals mutual inductance (M) times the current in S2. This demonstrates how closely linked systems can influence each other.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine two wireless charging pads placed close to each other. When one charging pad is activated (current flows), it generates a magnetic field that can also induce power flow to a phone sitting on the second pad - even if they are not directly connected. This exemplifies mutual inductance in action.
Self-Inductance
Chapter 6 of 6
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
In the previous sub-section, we considered the flux in one solenoid due to the current in the other. It is also possible that emf is induced in a single isolated coil due to change of flux through the coil by means of varying the current through the same coil. This phenomenon is called self-induction.
Detailed Explanation
Self-inductance occurs when a coil experiences a change in current that leads to a change in its own magnetic field, thus inducing a voltage within itself. The relationship is expressed as flux linkage (NΦ) being proportional to the current (I) through the same coil, resulting in the self-inductance denoted as L.
Examples & Analogies
Think of a swing on a playground. As you push the swing (increase the current), it moves higher (increased magnetic field) and after you stop pushing (change in current), it swings back due to the momentum from previous pushes (induced emf). This shows how the system keeps influencing itself during changes.
Key Concepts
-
Inductance: A property of a coil that describes how it induces an emf.
-
Mutual Inductance: Induction of emf between two coils.
-
Self-Inductance: Induction of emf within a coil due to its own current change.
-
Magnetic Flux: Represents the amount of magnetic field passing through a given area.
-
Henric: The unit of measure for inductance.
Examples & Applications
Example of a solenoid showing self-inductance when current changes.
A transformer illustrating mutual inductance between two coils.
Memory Aids
Interactive tools to help you remember key concepts
Rhymes
In a coil so round and neat, inductance makes currents meet.
Stories
Once upon a time, in a land of currents and coils, one coil learned to induce a charge whenever there was a change in its friend’s current.
Memory Tools
Mnemonic: 'MICE' - Mutual Inductance is Creating Electromotive force.
Acronyms
Acronym
'LAM' for 'Lenz's law
Area
Magnetic flux' to remember the key components in electromagnetic induction.
Flash Cards
Glossary
- Inductance
The property of a coil that allows it to induce emf due to changes in current.
- Mutual Inductance
The induction of emf in one coil due to a change in current in a neighboring coil.
- SelfInductance
The induction of emf in a coil due to changes in its own current.
- Magnetic Flux
The measure of the quantity of magnetism, taking into account the strength and extent of a magnetic field.
- Henric
The SI unit of inductance, named after Joseph Henry.
Reference links
Supplementary resources to enhance your learning experience.