Coupling coefficient (inductors)

Inductance is a property of an electrical conductor which opposes a change in current. It does that by storing and releasing energy from a magnetic field surrounding the conductor when current flows, according to Faraday's law of induction. When current rises, energy (as magnetic flux) is stored in the field, reducing the current and causing a drop in potential (i.e, a voltage) across the conductor; when current falls, energy is released from the field supplying current and causing a rise in potential across the conductor. Mutual inductance describes the change of current in a circuit when a second circuit also experiences a change of current; energy is coupled from one circuit to the other through magnetic fields.

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 circuit component representing inductance is called an inductor. The term inductance was coined by Oliver Heaviside in 1886.

The history of electromagnetic induction, a facet of electromagnetism, began with observations of the ancients: electric charge or static electricity (rubbing silk on amber), electric current (lightning), and magnetic attraction (lodestone). Understanding the unity of these forces of nature, and the scientific theory of electromagnetism began in the late 18th century.

Electromagnetic induction was first described by Michael Faraday in 1831. In Faraday's experiment, he wrapped two wires around opposite sides of an iron ring. He expected that, when current started to flow in one wire, a sort of wave would travel through the ring and cause some electrical effect on the opposite side.Using a galvanometer, he saw a transient current flow in the second coil of wire, each time the a battery was connected or disconnected from the first coil. This current was induced by the change in magnetic flux that occurred when the battery was connected and disconnected. Faraday found several other manifestations of electromagnetic induction. For example, he saw transient currents when he quickly slid a bar magnet in and out of a coil of wires, and he generated a steady (DC) current by rotating a copper disk near the bar magnet with a sliding electrical lead ("Faraday's disk").

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