Inductors and 'path of least resistance'

AI Thread Summary
Inductors typically use enameled wire, which is coated to prevent short circuits between turns while still allowing magnetic coupling. The design of inductors relies on the magnetic field created by the current flowing through the wire, which would be compromised if the turns were insulated from each other. The insulation is necessary to maintain the integrity of the inductor's function, ensuring that the electricity flows through the intended path. If the wire were not insulated, the inductor would not effectively operate as a solenoid. Overall, the insulation is crucial for both safety and performance in inductors.
Pythagorean
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Why is the wire in an inductor not insulated from the other turns in the wire? Or rather, why isn't it necessary?

We learn that the electricity will take the path of least resistance, so why would it bother going around each turn when it can just skim straight across the inductor and leave the opposite terminal?
 
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Pythagorean said:
Why is the wire in an inductor not insulated from the other turns in the wire? Or rather, why isn't it necessary?
Are you certain about that? Otherwise the the inductor would be simply a cylindrical shell rather than a solenoid as commonly portrayed.
 
Defennder said:
Are you certain about that? Otherwise the the inductor would be simply a cylindrical shell rather than a solenoid as commonly portrayed.

If they are insulated, the insulation is copper colored and feels metallic.

Here in one of the pictures:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductor

I can see on one of the inductors that it is, in fact, a coating.
 
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