Inductance is the characteristic of a conductor that opposes any change in what?

• A. Current
• B. Voltage
• C. Charge
• D. Resistance

Answer: (A)

Inductance describes how a conductor or coil resists changes in current because changing current creates a magnetic field that links with the circuit. When the current tries to rise or fall, this changing magnetic flux induces a voltage that opposes that change, described by e = -L di/dt. So the element tends to keep the current steady: it resists changes in current. In DC steady state, di/dt is zero, so the inductive effect isn’t active; in AC or transient situations, where current is continually changing, inductance shows up as opposition to that current change. This isn’t about opposing changes in voltage directly, and while current is tied to charge flow, the defining opposition is to changes in current, not to charge or resistance.