How a Transformer Works

Explanation by engineer, power transmission pioneer Lionel Barthold. Basic description with diagrams showing the behavior of electric power in a transformer.
A transformer transfers power between two or more separate circuits using induction. The Electromagnetic Field (EMF) transforms power across a medium from one wire to another. The ratio of windings in the primary vs the secondary winding will determine the change in voltage in an AC system. Induction was discovered in Michael Faraday and Joseph Henry in the 1820s. The Ganz Company in Budapest was the first to use transformers in a complete AC power system (1870s). "Transformers are the heart of the alternating current system" - William Stanley (1886) Transformers, generators, and transmission wires are the three most basic components of any utility power system.

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Science & Technology

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• windings
• copper
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• how electricity works
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• how transformers work
• transforming power
• Amps
• Volts
• modulation
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• PTI
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[JDavidEfrain]

@Chamoirs thanks

[Chamoirs]

@JDavidEfrain P is equal to VI on both sides of the transformer(ignoring losses), if you transform the voltage up (step up transformer) the ampage will go down accordingly. Conversly stepping down the voltage will raise the ampage, so you cant get more power out than you put in but you can adjust the volts or amps.

[JDavidEfrain]

I got a question that's been bothering for a long time , The point is what happens to the conservation of energy in a transformer . I know that P=VI it's the same in the primary and in the secondary. I know that industries use transformers to drive huge motors , but if the power remains the same that means you can't get more energy than what you are putting into the primary Coil . Thanks btw this videos are awesome and clear.

[EdisonExploratorium]

@AnnoyingXboxer hopefully more young people will see the importance of getting into technical fields, discovering how fun it is to build things. Encouraging this is the goal of the Edison Tech Center.

[AnnoyingXboxer]

I always notice on Youtube old people are teaching me electronics... Shows the rest of the younger generation is too busy playing the video games and watching their high deff Tv's these old people helped develop O.o

[CampKohler]

Before determining the number of turns on the secondary, the primary winding has to have the right number turns to suit the incoming voltage and the kind and shape of the iron core; too few turns and power-wasting currents flow; too many, turns and the abiltiy to deliver good amounts of stable power suffers.

[rlewis1946]

A wonderful lesson, so clearly explained from a pioneer of power transmission.

Roy Lewis Atlanta, Georgia USA

[MrSciencetificsasuke]

very helpful thank you