In this chapter, we will look at a few of the basic uses of simple inductors.
21.1 RL Circuits and Time Constants
Just as we had an RC circuit for capacitors, there is a similar circuit for inductors—the RL circuit. Just as inductors are the alter ego of capacitors, RL circuits are the alter ego of RC circuits.
An RL circuit is a circuit consisting of a resistor (R) and an inductor (L) in series with each other. They are similar in construction and usage to the RC circuits we looked at in Chapter 17, but have some important differences.
In RC circuits, the RC time constant ...
