Abstract
In electromagnetism and electronics, inductance is the property of an electrical conductor by
which a change in current through it induces an electromotive force in both the conductor
itself and any nearby conductors by mutual inductance.
These effects are derived from two fundamental observations of physics: a steady current
creates a steady magnetic field described by Oersted’s law, and a time-varying magnetic field
induces an electromotive force (EMF) in nearby conductors, which is described by Faraday’s
law of induction. According to Lenz’s law, a changing electric current through a circuit that
contains inductance induces a proportional voltage, which opposes the change in current
(self-inductance). The varying field in this circuit may also induce an EMF in neighboring
circuits (mutual inductance).
Objective
To study the factor on which the self-inductance of a coil depends by observing the effect of
this coil when put in series with a resistor (bulb) in a circuit fed up by an A.C. source of
adjustable frequency.
Theory
Self-inductance is the property of a coil which opposes the change in current through it. The
self-inductance of a coil (long solenoid) is
L =( μ_0 μ_r N2 A)/l
where µr = Relative magnetic permeability of magnetic material, µr =μ/μ_0
N =Total number of turns in the solenoid
A = Area of the cross-section of solenoid
l = Length of solenoid
Hence, the self-inductance depends upon
No. of turns in the solenoid
The geometry of coil, L A, L 1/l
Nature of core material, L µ
When an inductor is connected in series with a resistor (bulb) with a variable source of
frequency, then-current flowing in the bulb is
Irms = E_rms/Z
where Z =√(R2 )+ ω2 L2 = Impedance of the a.c. circuit
Here R = Resistance of bulb
L = Self-inductance of coil
ω = 2πf = Angular frequency of a.c. source.
The brightness of bulb i.e., Heat generated in a bulb is
H = I_rme2 Zt
P = H/t = Irms2 Zt
P = Irms2 √R2 + ω2 L2
Materials Required:
A coil of large turns, a.c. source of adjustable frequency, an electrical bulb, (6V) a.c. ammeter
of suitable range rheostat, a soft iron rod, a one-way key, connecting wires, etc.
Circuit Diagram
Procedure:
• Make all connections as shown in the circuit diagram.
• Switch on the A.C. supply and adjust the constant current in the circuit by using the variable
resistor (R1) (let the frequency of the source is 60 Hz and the voltage is 6V).
• Record the current in A.C. ammeter and see the brightness of the bulb.
• Now, put the soft iron rod inside the inductor core and record the current in A.C. ammeter
and again check the brightness of the bulb. The current and brightness both decrease.
• Now, switch off the supply and decrease the frequency of A.C. source (say 50 Hz).
• Again switch on the supply and adjust the current in the circuit at the same constant voltage
6V by using the rheostat. Note the current in ammeter and brightness of the bulb. The current
and brightness both will increases.
• Again insert the iron in the core of the coil and note the current and brightness. The current
and brightness both decrease.
• Repeat steps 5, 6 and 7 for the different frequencies of A.C. source(say 40 Hz,30 Hz, and 20
Hz).
Observations:
1. Least count of ammeter = .......... A
2. Zero error of ammeter= ............. A
3. Range of ammeter= ....................A
Result:
1. The current in the circuit decrease on inserting the iron rod in the core of the coil at
constant frequent of applied voltage and brightness of bulb decrease and vice-versa.
2. The current in the circuit increase on decreasing the frequency of applied voltage and vice-
versa. Therefore, the brightness of the bulb increase.
Precautions:-
1. The coil should have a number of turns.
2. The current should be passed for a small time to avoid the heating effect.
3. There should not be parallax in taking the reading of ammeter.
Source of Error:-
1. The resistance of the circuit may increases slightly due to the heating effect of current.
2. There may be eddy current in the soft iron coil.
In electromagnetism and electronics, inductance is the property of an electrical conductor by
which a change in current through it induces an electromotive force in both the conductor
itself and any nearby conductors by mutual inductance.
These effects are derived from two fundamental observations of physics: a steady current
creates a steady magnetic field described by Oersted’s law, and a time-varying magnetic field
induces an electromotive force (EMF) in nearby conductors, which is described by Faraday’s
law of induction. According to Lenz’s law, a changing electric current through a circuit that
contains inductance induces a proportional voltage, which opposes the change in current
(self-inductance). The varying field in this circuit may also induce an EMF in neighbouring
circuits (mutual inductance).
The term inductance was coined by Oliver Heaviside in 1886. It is customary to use the
symbol L for inductance, in honour of the physicist Heinrich Lenz in the SI system, the
measurement unit for inductance is the Henry, with the unit symbol H, named in honor of
Joseph Henry who discovered inductance independently of, but not before, Faraday.
Lenz's law named after the physicist Heinrich Lenz who formulated it in 1834, says:
The direction of current induced in a conductor by a changing magnetic field due to
Faraday’s law of induction will be such that it will create a field that opposes the change that
produced it.
Lenz's law is shown by the negative sign in Faraday’s law of induction:-
which indicates that the induced voltage and the change in magnetic flux have opposite signs.
It is a qualitative law that specifies the direction of induced current but says nothing about its
magnitude. Lenz's Law explains the direction of many effects in electromagnetism, such as
the direction of the voltage induced in an inductor or wire loop by a changing current, or why
eddy currents exert a drag force on moving objects in a magnetic field.
Lenz's law can be seen as analogous to Newton’s third law in classical mechanics.
For a rigorous mathematical treatment, see electromagnetic induction and Maxwell’s
equations.
Inductors do this by generating a self-induced emf within itself as a result of their changing
magnetic field. In an electrical circuit, when the emf is induced in the same circuit in which
the current is changing this effect is called Self-induction, ( L ) but it is sometimes commonly
called back-emf as its polarity is in the opposite direction to the applied voltage.
When the emf is induced into an adjacent component situated within the same magnetic field,
the emf is said to be induced by -induction, (M) and mutual induction is the basic operating
principle of transformers, motors, relays, etc. Self-inductance is a special case of mutual
inductance, and because it is produced within a single isolated circuit we generally call self-
inductance simply, Inductance.
The basic unit of measurement for inductance is called the Henry, (H) after Joseph Henry, but
it also has the units of Webers per Ampere ( 1 H = 1 Wb/A ).
Lenz’s Law tells us that an induced emf generates a current in a direction that opposes the
change in flux which caused the emf in the first place, the principle of action and reaction.
Then we can accurately define Inductance as being: “a coil will have an inductance value of
one Henry when an emf of one volt is induced in the coil were the current flowing through
the said coil changes at a rate of one ampere/second”.
In other words, a coil has inductance, ( L ) of one Henry, ( 1H ) when the current flowing
through it changes at a rate of one ampere/second, ( A/s ) inducing a voltage of one volt, ( VL
) in it.
This mathematical representation of the rate of change in current through a coil per unit time
is given as:
di/dt (A/s)
Where: di is the change in the current in Amperes and dt is the time taken for this current
change in seconds. Then the voltage induced in a coil, ( VL ) with an inductance of L Henries
as a result of this change in current is expressed as:
VL = -L di/dt (V)
Note that the negative sign indicates that voltage induced opposes the change in current
through the coil per unit time (di/dt).
From the above equation, the inductance of a coil can, therefore, be presented as:
The inductance of a Coil
L = VL/(di/dt) = 1volt/(1A/s) = 1Henry
Where: L is the inductance in Henries, VL is the voltage across the coil and di/dt is the rate of
change of current in Amperes per second, A/s.
Inductance, L is a measure of an inductor “resistance” to the change of the current flowing
through the circuit and the larger is its value in Henries, the lower will be the rate of current
change.
We know from the previous tutorial about the inductor, that inductors are devices that can
store their energy in the form of a magnetic field. Inductors are made from individual loops
of wire combined to produce a coil and if the number of loops within the coil is increased,
then for the same amount of current flowing through the coil, the magnetic flux will also
increase.
So by increasing the number of loops or turns within a coil, increases the inductance of the
coil. Then the relationship between self-inductance, ( L ) and the number of turns, ( N ) and
for a simple single-layered coil can be given as:
Self Inductance of a Coil
L = Nφ/I
Where:
L is in Henries
N is the Number of Turns
Φ is the Magnetic Flux Linkage
Ι is in Amperes
This expression can also be defined as the flux linkage divided by the current flowing
through each turn. This equation only applies to linear magnetic materials.
References
1. [Link]
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2. [Link]
/15035-2998-4742-study-wtw
3. [Link]