Ask a Teacher

Eddy currents are currents which circulate in conductors like swirling eddies in a stream. They are induced by changing magnetic fields and flow in closed loops, perpendicular to the plane of the magnetic field. They can be created when a conductor is moving through a magnetic field, or when the magnetic field surrounding a stationary conductor is varying i.e. anything which results in the conductor experiencing a change in the intensity or direction of a magnetic field can produce eddy currents. The size of the eddy current is proportional to the size of the magnetic field, the area of the loop and the rate of change of magnetic flux, and inversely proportional to the resistivity of the conductor.