Solenoid

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What Does Solenoid Mean?

A solenoid is a coil of enameled or insulated wire in a corkscrew shape wrapped around a rod-shaped armature usually made of iron. A solenoid is an electromechanical device capable of producing a magnetic field and motion of the armature. Solenoids have wide applications which include use in automobile starters, switches, valves and inductors in electronic circuits.

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Techopedia Explains Solenoid

The core material in a solenoid is of a ferromagnetic nature. As a result, a magnetic field in an activated solenoid has negative and positive poles, and can attract or repel materials which are sensitive to magnets. The electromagnetic field in a solenoid results in the armature moving forward or backward due to the solenoid coil. Solenoids are either used to generate a controlled magnetic field or act as a transducer device capable of producing linear motion. Solenoids are extremely helpful for numerous applications, including automated equipment.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.