Technical Definition: What is an Inductor?

An inductor is an electrical component that is composed of wire wound into a

coil, which creates a magnetic field. Inductors are used to oppose the current
flow, which allows energy to be stored in the coil of the conductor. Due to
their characteristic to store energy, inductors are found in electronic
equipment that uses alternating current (AC). The main purpose of an
inductor is to supply a steady stream of current, changing the alternating
current to direct current (DC). Most circuits are comprised of wire and three
main components. Those components are resistors, capacitors, and
inductors. Being one of the main components in a circuit, inductors play a
crucial role in engineering and everyday living.
Types
There are various inductors in use but all are made
up of the basic concept of a wire wound into a coil.
A ferromagnetic core inductor is a type of inductor
that has ferrite or iron in the interior so that the
magnetic force is increased by a scale of several
thousand, thus making the inductor far more
effective. As Figure 1 depicts, there are different
types of inductors that are utilized in the
engineering profession. Inductors have various
types of wire, coil patterns, coil spacing, and
interior core materials. Each inductor has the
necessary characteristics for the job that it needs
to perform. If a stronger magnetic field is desired, Figure 1: Different types of
Inductors
the coils are wound tighter which generates a
stronger field. As there many different combinations of inductor properties,
inductors can be used in many applications, ranging from radio equipment to
TV receivers.
Inductors in Circuits

An inductor stores energy when current

flows through the coils magnetic force. The
greater the current flow, the more force is
generated in the inductor, thus creating
more energy within the inductor. The letter
for an inductor in a circuit is denoted by a
capital L. The symbol in a typical circuit
diagram is a coiled line, representing the
Figure 2: Inductor in circuit
coiled wire of an inductor. In Figure 2, three
drawing
capacitors are shown in a circuit schematic. They are parallel, meaning they
are not connected in a linear fashion. The unit of inductance is a Henry, and
is a capital H. The unit was named after the American scientist Joseph Henry
who discovered the inductor and inductance. Due to the high energy value of
a single henry, an inductor usually is measured in microhenries, which have
a symbol of H and a value of 1x10-6 H.