Insulators

Created by Samiksha Sriram Fall 2026

The Main Idea

An inductor is an electrical component that stores energy in its magnetic field. Inductance is the property of a coil of wire to resist changes in the electric current through it. Inductors are characterized by their coil of wire and core material, which can be air, iron, or some type of magnetic material (i.e., ferrite). Inductors can be identified by their type of inner core since some can have a hollow core(free air), a soft ferrite core, or a solid iron core. The solid central core can be either a straight cylindrical rod or a continuous loop/ring, which then concentrates the magnetic flux. Magnetic flux is a measured value of the total magnetic field that passes through a given surface area. While the coil of wire resists changes in the electric current, a secondary voltage is induced in the same coil by the movement of the magnetic flux. For most coils, the current that flows through the coil is what produces the magnetic flux around it. This is then proportional to the flow of the electrical current.

Inductors are widely used for energy storage, filtering, and signal processing in various electronic circuits.