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Henry (unit)

physical science Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Scientists use a unit called the henry to measure inductance. Inductance is a way to measure how an electric circuit works. We use the symbol H for this unit. It is a derived unit in the International System of Units. This means it is built from four other base units. Those units are the kilogram, metre, second, and ampere.

Inductor
Inductor

How does one henry actually work? Imagine a coil of wire with electricity flowing through it. If one ampere of current flows through the coil, it creates one weber of flux linkage. A weber is a way to measure magnetic flux. This specific setup means the coil has a self-inductance of one henry. You can also look at it through voltage. If the current changes at one ampere per second, it creates one volt. This happens across the inductor in the circuit.

Inductor
Inductor

The unit is named after a man named Joseph Henry. He was a scientist from America who lived from 1797 to 1878. He discovered electromagnetic induction on his own. He did this at about the same time as Michael Faraday. Faraday was a scientist from England who lived from 1791 to 1867. Both men found these important truths about electricity and magnets.

Inductor
Inductor

Many things change the inductance of a coil. The size of the coil is very important. The number of turns in the wire also matters. Even the material inside or around the coil helps. For example, a small air-core coil for AM radio tuning is tiny. It might only have a few tens of microhenries. A microhenry is a very small part of a henry.

Inductor
Inductor

We see henries in many different machines. A large motor winding can be quite big. It might have many turns around an iron core. These large motors can have hundreds of henries. The physical size of the part also matters for safety. It relates to how much voltage the part can withstand. It also relates to how much current it can carry.

Inductor
Inductor
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