Sukkur Institute of Business Administration University

Department of Computer Systems Engineering

Applied Physics BE(CS)-I

Lab-07: Inductors in Series and Parallel Circuit

Instructor: Engr: Asif Ali

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Objectives:
The objective of this Lab is to understand the series connection and parallel connection of the
Inductors.

Lab Hardware and Software Required:

 NI Elvis-Kit
 Inductors
 Connecting Wires
 PC
 MultiSim
 Connecting Probes

Background Theory:
A coil of several turns is known as inductor or a coil which opposes any change in current,
This property of have made Inductors an important component in industrial as well as general
use, a capacitor stores energy in the form of electric field in the same way it stores also stores
energy but in the form of magnetic field as shown in the figure 1. Inductance is the property
of an inductor due to which it opposes any change in magnetic field and is represented by L
and it’s unit is Henry.

Fig 1 (Air cored inductor)

1821, soon after the Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Oersted discovered the
phenomenon of i.e. whenever current is passed through any conductor magnetic field is setup
around that conductor in concentric form.
An electromagnet can be formed by the flow of current through the coil having a permeable
medium in between that coil in order to concentrate magnetic field.
A long straight coil of wire can be used to generate a nearly uniform magnetic field similar to
that of a bar magnets. Such coils, called solenoids, have an enormous number of practical

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applications. The field can be greatly strengthened by the addition of an iron core. The field
inside a solenoid can is given by the formula

B=µNI =µNI /l
B = solenoid magnetic flux density
µ = magnetic constant
N = number of turns
I = current
l = length of the solenoid

Flux inside the solenoid is given by

∅=NBA
Field inside the solenoid takes some time to setup so there will be changing magnetic field till
the magnetic field is not setup and according to Faraday’s law.
d∅
E=−N
dt
Changing magnetic field in solenoid is
dB N dI
=μo
dt L dt
E.M.F induced during the setting up of magnetic field:

d∅ μ N dI
E=−N =−N ( )A
dt l dt

μoN 2
A dI
E=−A
l dt
As we know that,
dI
E=−L
dt
By comparing both equation of E we get inductance

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L=μ o A N / l

Inductors Connected in Series

The picture in your head several inductors connected end to end.  If you move them closer
and closer together, they would eventually look like on large coil of wire.  This is the way a
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series inductive circuit works.  Multiple inductors in series simply add up to form a larger
inductor.  The formula for finding the total inductance in series looks similar to the total
resistance in series.
The method for determining the total inductance of the following circuit is similar to that
used for series resistors. According to Kirchhoff’s voltage law, we can write following
equation for the following figure:

Vt =V 1+V 2+V 3 … … … … …( a)
The current flowing in the circuit is iT. The rate of change of current flowing in the circuit
d it
is 
dt
d it
Dividing both sides of equation (a) by , we obtain following expression:
dt

Vt V 1 V 2 V 3
= + + … … … … … … … (b)
d i t d it d i t d i t
dt dt dt dt

The left side of equation (b) is the total voltage divided by the rate of change of current. This
term gives the total inductance LT. Each term on the right side of equation (b) gives the value
of an individual inductance:
So, the total inductance would be,

¿=L1+ L 2+ L3 … … … … … … … .(c)

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Inductors in Parallel:
Inductors can also be combined in parallel circuits.  Connecting inductors in series increased
the total inductance; so, it stands to reason, connecting inductors in parallel should decrease
the total inductance.
Just as series inductors act like series resistors, parallel inductors act like parallel resistors. 
The formula for finding total inductance in a parallel circuit looks very similar to the one for
total resistance in a parallel circuit.
By Appling Kirchhoff’s current law, to the following figure, we can determine how
Inductors in parallel combine;

i t =i1 +i 2 +i 3 … … … … … .(d)

V1
=L1
d it
dt

V1
=L2
d it
dt

V1
=L3
d it
dt
In order to express above equation as a rate of change of current take derivative on both
sides;

d it d i1 d i2 d i3
= + +
dt dt dt dt

Since voltage across an inductor is

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 di
VL=L
dt

And also since VT is the total voltage across the parallel inductance,

Vt Vt Vt Vt
= + +
¿ L 1 L 2 L3

Dividing both sides of equation (c) by VT would give us following equation;

1 1 1 1
= + +
¿ L 1 L2 L 3

Equation (g) states that reciprocal of the total inductance is equal to the sum of reciprocals of
the individual inductances connected in parallel.

1821, soon after the Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Oersted discovered the
phenomenon of i.e. whenever current is passed through any conductor magnetic field is setup
around that conductor in concentric form.
An electromagnet can be formed by the flow of current through the coil having a permeable
medium in between that coil in order to concentrate magnetic field.

Lab Activity-01

Table-1
Inductor L1 L2 LT
Meassured
LT (Calculated)

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 Table-2
I V1 V2 VT
Meassured
(Series)

Lab Activity-02

Table-03
Inductor L1 L2 LT
Meassured
LT (Calculated)
Parallel

Table-04

V I1 I2 I2
Meassured
(Series)

Lab Exercise:
Task-01: Solve the following circuit

Task-02: Solve the following circuit

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Task-03: Design an circuit which contains series and parallel combination