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While it is true that an inductor opposes the flow of an alternating current, it does not necessarily 'block it'. The quantity that opposes the flow of an AC current is the inductor's inductive reactance, expressed in ohms. Inductive reactance is proportional to the frequency of the supply voltage and, at 50 or 60 Hz, the reactance of a transformer's winding is relatively low (although very much higher than its resistance) and, while this acts to limit the amount of current flow, it certainly doesn't act to block that flow.

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13y ago
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13y ago

An inductor blocks AC while allowing DC because it resists a change in current. The equation of an inductor is ...

di/dt = V/L

... meaning that the rate of change of current is proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to inductance.

If you apply DC across an inductor, it will stabilize to some current flow based on the maximum current available from the current / voltage source. In this mode, the inductor presents very low resistance, so it can be said that it allows DC to pass.

If, however, you apply AC across an inductor, you need to consider its inductive reactance by integrating the above equation in terms of the circuit conditions. The equation for inductive reactance is ...

XL = 2 pi F L

... meaning that the inductive reactance is proportional to the frequency and to the inductance.

Thus, the higher the frequency, the higher the reactance. Since reactance is a phasor measure of resistance, it can be thus said that an inductor will block AC.

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12y ago

Inductor will allow the ac current to flow through it....it wont block.

An inductor's reactance increases with the AC frequency. At a high enough frequency it will block the AC. For DC the inductor's reactance is zero, because the frequency of DC is zero.

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13y ago

Inductors by their nature resist CHANGE in current.

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12y ago

You have it backwards.

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Q: Why does an inductor block AC but allow DC?
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When your circuit starts up, your inductor creates an electrical current in the opposite direction. With dc, this effect vanished after the circuit is started. With ac, the current keeps starting and stopping so the inductor keeps creating a current in the opposite direction.


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If an inductor and a switch are connected in parallel through which the current will flow in an AC circuit?

A:The inductor does not allow ac signal to pass through. It blocks ac and passes dc. If the switch is open, then the ac signal wont pass. If the switch is closed, then the ac signal will pass through the switch.AnswerIt is incorrect to say that an inductor 'does not allow' the passage of an alternating current. An a.c. current will pass through an inductor, although the inductor will limit the value of that current due to the inductor's inductive reactance. Inductive reactance, which is expressed in ohms, is directly-proportional to the inductance of the inductor and to the frequency of the supply. The value of the current is determined by dividing the supply voltage by the inductive reactance of the inductor.If the switch is connected in parallel with the inductor, then closing the switch will apply a direct short circuit across the inductor, and the resulting short-circuit current will cause the circuit's protective device (fuse or circuit breaker) to operate.


Does an inductor blocks AC?

An inductor blocks AC while allowing DC because it resists a change in current. The equation of an inductor is ...di/dt = V/L... meaning that the rate of change of current is proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to inductance.If you apply DC across an inductor, it will stabilize to some current flow based on the maximum current available from the current / voltage source. In this mode, the inductor presents very low resistance, so it can be said that it allows DC to pass.If, however, you apply AC across an inductor, you need to consider its inductive reactance by integrating the above equation in terms of the circuit conditions. The equation for inductive reactance is ...XL = 2 pi F L... meaning that the inductive reactance is proportional to the frequency and to the inductance.Thus, the higher the frequency, the higher the reactance. Since reactance is a phasor measure of resistance, it can be thus said that an inductor will block AC.


Why we use the inductor?

To answer these questions I will tell you which devices or equipments are inductive.These include:TransformersHair clipers,hair blowers,motorsYou hopefully know what those devices or equipments are used for,hence why we use inductors.


Why a transformer designed for a 120V AC input will often burn out if connected to a 120V DC source?

All transformers are designed to work on AC. They do not work on DC.If you connect an inductor to DC, the current will increase until the capacity of the source or the conductance (1/resistance) capacity of the inductor and conductors is reached. Often, this condition will overheat and destroy the inductor, or destroy the source. A transformer is not an exception, as it is a form of inductor.


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