SARDAR PATEL PUBLIC SCHOOL

HOSHANGABAD ROAD, MISROD, BHOPAL

(SESSION 2019-2020)

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

PROJECT FILE

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.
SUBMITTED TO:
Mr.N.K Sahu ( PGT PHYSICS)

SUBMITTED BY:

SHRISH GUPTA

XII – A
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the work is being presented

in the project file on the topic of “Self Inductance of a
Coil” in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
subject of XII Class Physics is an authentic record of our
own work carried out under the able guidance of Mr.
N.K Sahu .

The work has been carried out at SARDAR PATEL

PUBLIC SCHOOL, BHOPAL.

I here declare that above statement is correct to the

best of my knowledge.

Shrish Gupta

XII - A
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Master Shrish Gupta student of

XII Class of Sardar Patel Public School, Bhopal have
successfully completed their project in the topic “Self
Inductance of a Coil” in partial fulfillment of the
requirement for the subject of XII Class, Physics in the
session 2019-20.

Mr. NK Sahu Dr.Babita Jain

(PGT Physics) (Principal)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express our deep sense of gratitude to my respected

and learned guide Mr. N.K Sahu, for their valuable help
and guidance.

I am grateful to my respected Principal Dr. Babita Jain,

Sardar Patel Public School, Bhopal for permitting me
to select this topic and utilize all the necessary facilities
of the institution.

I am also thankful to all the faculty & staff members of

our School for their kind co-operation and help.

Lastly, I would like to express my deep appreciation

towards my classmates and my indebtedness to my
parents for providing us the moral support and
encouragement.
Shrish Gupta

XII - A
Content:
 Abstract
 Objective
 Theory
 Materials Required
 Circuit Diagram
 Procedure
 Result
 Precaution
 Sources of error
 References
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
in 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 solenoid
A = Area of cross-section of solenoid
l = Length of solenoid
Hence, the self inductance depends upon
No. of turns in solenoid
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 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, one way
key, connecting wires etc
Circuit Diagram
Procedure:
• Make all connections as shown in circuit diagram.
• Switch on the A.C. supply and adjust the constant
current in the circuit by using the variable resistor
(R1) (let frequency of source is 60 Hz and voltage is
6V).
• Record the current in A.C. ammeter and see the
brightness of 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 bulb. The current and
brightness both decreases.

• 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 circuit at same constant voltage 6V by using the
rheostat. Note the current in ammeter and
brightness of bulb. The current and brightness both
will increases.
• Again insert the iron in the core of coil and note
the current and brightness. The current and
brightness both decreases.

• Repeat the steps 5, 6 and 7 for different

frequency 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 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 bulb increase.

Precautions:-
1. The coil should have number of turn.
2. 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 circuit mat increase slightly due
to heating effect of current.
2. There may be eddy current in 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
in 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).

The term inductance was coined by Oliver Heaviside

in 1886. It is customary to use the symbol L for
inductance, in honors 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 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 classic 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 principal 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 (1H= 1 Wb/A ).

Lenz’s Law tells us that an induced emf generates a

current in a direction which opposes the change in
flux which caused the emf in the first place, the
principal 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 an 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:
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 actually a measure of an inductors

“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 are 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 coils inductance. 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.http://www.tutorvista.com/content/science/scienc
e-ii/magnetic-effects-electric-current/force-
current-carrying-conductor.php

2.http://gradestack.com/CBSE-Class-12th-
Course/Magnetic-Effects-of/Force-on-a-Current-
/15035-2998-4742-study-wtw

3.http://hyperphysics.phy-
astr.gsu.edu/hbase/magnetic/forwir2.html