The energy stored in the magnetic field of an inductor is U = 1/2 L I^2. If L = 0.5 H and I = 2 A, what is U?

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Multiple Choice

The energy stored in the magnetic field of an inductor is U = 1/2 L I^2. If L = 0.5 H and I = 2 A, what is U?

Explanation:
Energy stored in an inductor’s magnetic field scales with the square of the current and with the inductance, via U = 1/2 L I^2. This means more current or a larger inductance stores more energy, and the dependence on current is quadratic. Plugging in L = 0.5 H and I = 2 A: I^2 = 4, so U = (1/2) × 0.5 × 4 = 1 J. So the energy stored is 1 joule. (Doubling the current would increase the energy by a factor of four; increasing inductance at the same current scales energy linearly with L.)

Energy stored in an inductor’s magnetic field scales with the square of the current and with the inductance, via U = 1/2 L I^2. This means more current or a larger inductance stores more energy, and the dependence on current is quadratic.

Plugging in L = 0.5 H and I = 2 A: I^2 = 4, so U = (1/2) × 0.5 × 4 = 1 J.

So the energy stored is 1 joule. (Doubling the current would increase the energy by a factor of four; increasing inductance at the same current scales energy linearly with L.)

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