Chapter 30 Inductance

1 Mutual Inductance

What is the induced emf E2 in coil 2 due the change in current in coil 1, where coil
1 is in close proximity to coil 2?

From Faraday’s Law, we can write the following:

dΦB2
E = −N2
dt
The flux linkage in the second coil is defined to be:

N2 ΦB2 = M21 i1 (1)

where M21 is the constant of proportionality constant called the mutual induc-
tance. The SI units of inductance is the henry (H), named after Joseph Henry. If
we look at the time-rate-of-change of Eq. 1, we find:

dΦB2 di1
N2 = M21
dt dt

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Therefore, we can write the induced emf in coil 2 as:

di1
E2 = − M21 (induced emf in the second coil) (2)
dt
If we reverse the roles of coil 1 and coil 2, we find that M12 = M21 leading to the
following relationships:

di1 di2
E2 = −M and E1 = −M
dt dt
where the mutual inductance M is:

N2 ΦB2 N1 ΦB1
M = = (definition of mutual inductance)
i1 i2

2 Self-Inductance and Inductors

As a current passes through the wires wrapped about a solenoid, the increasing
magnetic field creates a self-induced emf due to Lenz’s law. The induced emf
is set up in such a way as to oppose the change in the current that caused the
emf.
As we did for the mutual inductance, we can write the flux linkage for this cir-
cuit:
N ΦB = Li

where L is the constant of proportionality called the self-inductance. Again, as

before, let’s take a derivative of the flux linkage to find the following:

dΦB di
N = L
dt dt
From Faraday’s Law, we can now write the self-induced emf:

di
E = −L
dt

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The solenoid in the above circuit is what we call an inductor. The purpose of the
inductor is to oppose any variations in the current through a circuit.

di
Vab = Va − Vb = L
dt

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2.1 Self-inductance for a toroidal solenoid
µo N iA
ΦB = BA =
2πr
From our definition of the flux linkage, we can write

N ΦB µo N 2 A
N ΦB = Li or L = =
i 2πr

2.2 Self-inductance for a simple solenoid

We can write the flux linkage as

N ΦB N BA N nµo iA
N ΦB = L i ⇒ L = = =
i i i

So, now we can write the self-inductance for a simple solenoidal inductor as:

L = N nµo A (inductance for a simple solenoid)

Note: The inductance only depends on the geometry of the inductor (i.e.,
the number of turns, the material, and its physical size.

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Ex. 7 The inductor in Fig. 30.18 has inductance 0.260 H and carries a cur-
rent in the irection shown that is decreasing at a uniform rate, di/dt =
−0.0180 A/s. a) Find the self-induced emf. b) Which end of the induc-
tor, a or b, is at a higher potential.

3 Magnetic Field Energy

Establishing a current in an inductor builds up the magnetic field inside the in-
ductor, and this requires work. The instantaneous power supplied by the external
source to do this work is:

di
P = Vab i = Li
dt
The energy supplied by the external source in an infinitesimal amount of time dt
is:

dU = P dt = Li di
The total energy U supplied while the current increases from zero to its final value
I is:

Z I
1
U =L i di = L I2 (energy stored in an inductor)
0 2
Ex. 12 An inductor used in a dc power supply has an inductance of 12.0 H
and resistance of 180 Ω. It carries a current of 0.300 A a) What is the
energy stored in the magnetic field? b) At what rate is thermal energy
developed in the inductor? c) Does your answer to part (b) mean that
the magnetic-field energy is decreasing with time? Explain.
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3.1 Energy stored in a toroidal solenoid

Recall that we can write the inductance for a toroidal solenoid as:
µo N 2 A
L =
2πr
Now, we can write the total energy stored in a toroidal solenoid as:
1 µo N 2 A 2
U = I
2 2πr

The energy per unit volume is:

U U 1 N 2I 2
u = = = µo (3)
V 2πrA 2 (2πr)2
We can rewrite this equation in terms of the magnetic field B inside the toroidal
solenoid. Recall, that the magnetic field inside a toroidal solenoid is B = µo N I/2πr.
Now we can rewrite the last fraction in the previous equation as:

N 2I 2 B2
= 2
(2πr)2 µo
Now, we can rewrite Eq. 3 as:
B2
u = (magnetic energy density in a vacuum)
2 µo

This is analogous to the electric energy density stored in a vacuum u = 12 o E 2 .

If the material inside the toroid is not vacuum but a material with magnetic per-
meability µ = Km µo , then the magnetic energy density becomes:

B2
u = (magnetic energy density in a material)
2µ

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4 The R-L Circuit

The R − L circuit is shown in the figure below.

P
Using Kirchhoff’s rule ( Vi = 0), we find:

di
E − iR − L =0
dt
Solving this equation for the current i, we find:

E  −t/(L/R)

i = 1−e (current in an R-L circuit with emf)
R
where L/R is called the time constant for the circuit. So, once again, we have
a time constant with a slightly different definition, however, the units are still in
seconds.
L
τ =
R

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4.1 Current Decay in an R-L Circuit

When the inductor is discharged, the energy in the inductor is dissipated by the
P
heat loss in the resistor. Once again, we can use Kirchhoff’s rule ( Vi = 0) to
obtain a differential equation. The solution to the differential equation is:

i = Io e−t/(L/R) (current decay in an R-L circuit)

5 The L-C Circuit

An L-C circuit behaves entirely different from the circuits we’ve seen so far. It’s
behavior is characterized by oscillating current and charge. Initially, we charge the

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capacitor plate with an initial charge Q = CVm , and close the switch at t = 0.
Various stages of the energy transfer are shown in the figure below.

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 P
In order to describe the flow of charge and current, we use Kirchhoff’s rule ( vi =
0).

di
−L = 0
dt
Since i = dq/dt and di/dt = d2 q/dt2 , we can write the above equation as:

d2 q 1
+ q = 0 (L-C circuit)
dt2 LC
The solution to this equation is:

q = Q cos(ωo t + φ)

and the angular frequency ωo is given by

r
1
ωo = (angular frequency in an L-C circuit)
LC

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6 The L-R-C Circuit

In this section we add a resistor to the previous circuit to form an L-R-C series
circuit. The effect of the resistor is to dampen the oscillatory motion observed
in the previous section. The different kinds of damping are shown in the figures
below.

As before, we initially charge the capacitor with an emf source E, then disconnect
the battery from the circuit, and then discharge the energy stored in the capacitor
to the other two elements in the series circuit as shown below.

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To describe the charge on
Pthe capacitor plate as a function of time, we once again
invoke Kirchhoff’s rule ( vi = 0) following the path abcda:

di q
−iR − L − = 0
dt C

Replacing i with dq/dt and rearranging, we obtain the following equation:

d2 q R dq 1
+ + q = 0
dt2 L dt LC

The solution to this equation is rather complex, but here it is:

r !
1 1 R2
q = Ae− 2 t/(L/R) cos − t+φ
LC 4L2
wherepthe natural resonating frequency of the circuit (without the inductor) is
ωo = 1/LC.
Homework – Chapter 30

Exercises:

Problems:

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