LECTURE 30

INDUCTANCE & RL CIRCUITS

Instructor: Kazumi Tolich

Lecture 30
2

Reading chapter 23-7 and 23-8.

! Inductance
! RL

circuits

Mutual inductance
3

Changing current in one coil induces a current

in another coil.
! This type of interaction between coils is called
mutual inductance.
!

Self-inductance
4

!
!

A single coil with a changing current through it can induce emf

and current in itself.
This type of process is called self-inductance.
When the switch is closed in this circuit, a current is established
that increases with time.
The induced current opposes the change it caused it. The coil
tends to resist changes in its current.

Inductance
5

Inductance, L, is the proportionality constant that tells

us how much emf will be induced for a given rate of
change in current:
E =N

I
=L
t
t

L= N
I
!

The SI unit of inductance is henry, H.

Inductance: 2
6

The inductance depends only on the geometry.

! Every loop has an inductance, but an object designed
to have a large inductance is called an inductor and is
represented by the following symbol in a circuit
diagram:
!

Inductance of a long solenoid

7

The inductance of a long solenoid with N turns of cross

sectional area A and length is:

Lsolenoid

0 N 2 A
=
= 0 n2 A

N Bsolenoid A 0
=N
=
=
I
I 0

0 NI
N
A

n = N/l

Note that the inductance does not depend on the

current, but only on the geometry.

Example: 1
8

An inductor is made by
tightly winding a wire
with a diameter
d=0.30mm around a
cylinder with a radius
r=2.0mm. How long
does the cylinder have to
be to have an inductance
of L=10H?

Example: 2
9

A current I=1.0 A
passes through an
inductor coil with
L=10.0mH. What
potential difference is
induced across the coil
if the current drops
steadily to zero in
t=5.0s?

RL circuit
10

A circuit containing a resistor

and an inductor is called an RL
circuit.
! Current

in a RL circuit cannot
change discontinuously.
! In a dc circuit, an inductor acts as
a short circuit long time after the
switch is closed/opened.

Energizing an inductor in an RL circuit

11

!
!

The switch is closed at t = 0.

The current in the circuit grows and
approaches the final value If.
E0
I t =
1 et / ( L / R) = I f 1 et /
R

()

The time constant of the circuit is given by

L
R

Current after short time

12

The switch was open,

then closed.
! Initially the inductor
can be treated as an
open circuit.
!

Current after long time

13

A long time after the

switch is closed, the
inductor can be
treated as a short
circuit.

Demo: 1
14

RL circuit
! An

inductor in series with a resistor, a battery and a

switch.
! When the switch is closed the current rises slowly from
zero to a steady-state value.
E0
I t =
1 et / ( L / R) = I f 1 et /
R

()

Clicker question: 1
15

Example: 3
16

!

The switch is open initially.

a)

Find the current in the circuit a long

time after the switch is closed.

b)

Describe the behavior of the light

bulb from the time the switch is closed
until the current reaches the value
found in part a).

c)

Explain the behavior of the light bulb

if the switch is opened after having
been closed for a long time.

d)

Find the voltage across the light bulb

just before and just after the switch is
opened.

Make-before-break switch
17

A make-before-break switch allows us to

remove the battery from the circuit without
sparks.
If the contact e was broken before making a
contact with f, the current in the inductor has
no where to go.

Demo: 2
18

Lamp in parallel with solenoid

! A

large DC current introduced suddenly to a large inductor

cannot pass through the coil at first, so a lamp in parallel
with the coil lights up.
! After the current becomes steady, the coil draws more
current and bulb dims.
! When the current is switched off suddenly, the induced
voltage in the coil (back EMF) again lights the lamp.
! A separate neon lamp in parallel with the coil shows that the
direction of the second voltage surge is the opposite of the
first.

Clicker question: 2
19