Red Seal Electrician Practice
Magnetism and electromagnetismQuestion 951 of 1506

Why does a core with high hysteresis loss add to an inductor’s effective resistance?

  1. The core stores the energy and returns it unchanged.
  2. The core has less permeability than air does in the coil.
  3. Energy is spent reversing the core magnetization.
  4. The core acts as a capacitor in series with the coil.
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Correct answer: Energy is spent reversing the core magnetization.

Energy spent in reversing the field is lost from the circuit, so it shows up as resistance.

Source: Lessons in Electric Circuits II: AC (Kuphaldt), 3.5: Inductor Quirks

Practice magnetism and electromagnetism

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026