Inductor and capacitor differences in storage of energy

119

03:31:20

Why is there a huge spike in voltage when  switch 1 (from left to right) is opened , even though source voltage is only 9v , reaching hundreds
Of volts 

published 8 years ago

Shovex

8 years ago

You can think about it like that: The inductor stores kinetic energy, while the capacitor stores potential enegery. Since the inductor "stores" a magnet field, caused by a current, which is something like movement, you can see it like kinetic energy.

Shovex

8 years ago

A capacitor stores an electric field, which you can see as potential energy. As you see, both store energy, but since the effects of kinetic and potential energy aren't the same, inductors and capacitors don't act the same way, even though both can store energy.

uberula

8 years ago

If you look at the equation of an inductor, v = Ldi/dt, you can see a sudden change in current will cause a large voltage. This is what happens; when you open the switch, current rapidly starts to decrease and the inductor voltage spikes.

BrianTronics

8 years ago

di/dt being the change in current ? So essentially a linear relationship

lenzrulz

8 years ago

A zener diode will clamp the -290V spike (inductor circuit)

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