Editing Inductor (section)

==Applications==
[[File:InductorSignalFilter1.png|150px|thumb|Example of signal filtering. In this configuration, the inductor blocks AC current, while allowing DC current to pass.]]
[[File:InductorSignalFilter2.png|150px|thumb|Example of signal filtering. In this configuration, the inductor [[Decoupling (electronics)|decouples]] DC current, while allowing AC current to pass.]]
Inductors are used extensively in [[analog circuit]]s and signal processing.  Applications range from the use of large inductors in power supplies, which in conjunction with filter [[capacitor]]s remove [[Ripple (electrical)|ripple]] which is a multiple of the mains frequency (or the switching frequency for switched-mode power supplies) from the direct current output, to the small inductance of the [[ferrite bead]] or [[torus]] installed around a cable to prevent [[radio frequency interference]] from being transmitted down the wire.

Inductors are used as the energy storage device in many [[switched-mode power supply|switched-mode power supplies]] to produce DC current.  The inductor supplies energy to the circuit to keep current flowing during the "off" switching periods and enables topographies where the output voltage is higher than the input voltage.

A [[tuned circuit]], consisting of an inductor connected to a [[capacitor]], acts as a [[Electrical resonance|resonator]] for oscillating current.  Tuned circuits are widely used in [[radio frequency]] equipment such as radio transmitters and receivers, as narrow [[bandpass filter]]s to select a single frequency from a composite signal, and in [[electronic oscillator]]s to generate sinusoidal signals.

Two (or more) inductors in proximity that have coupled magnetic flux ([[mutual inductance]]) form a [[transformer]], which is a fundamental component of every [[electric utility]] [[power grid]]. The efficiency of a transformer may decrease as the frequency increases due to eddy currents in the core material and skin effect on the windings. The size of the core can be decreased at higher frequencies. For this reason, aircraft use 400 hertz alternating current rather than the usual 50 or 60 hertz, allowing a great saving in weight from the use of smaller transformers.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is an inductor? What is the definition of an inductor? Overview of inductor characteristics, parameters, and types. |url=https://www.gotrend.com.tw/ec99/rwd1606/news.asp?newsno=55 |access-date=2010-09-24 |publisher=GOTREND Technology}}</ref> Transformers enable switched-mode power supplies that [[Galvanic isolation|galvanically isolate]] the output from the input.

Inductors are also employed in [[electrical transmission]] systems, where they are used to limit switching currents and [[fault current]]s. In this field, they are more commonly referred to as reactors.

Inductors have parasitic effects which cause them to depart from ideal behavior. They create and suffer from [[electromagnetic interference]] (EMI). Their physical size prevents them from being integrated on semiconductor chips. So the use of inductors is declining in modern electronic devices, particularly compact portable devices.  Real inductors are increasingly being replaced by active circuits such as the [[gyrator]] which can [[simulated inductor|synthesize inductance]] using capacitors.
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