eddy current

American  

noun

1. an electric current in a conducting material that results from induction by a moving or varying magnetic field.

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eddy current British  

noun

1. Also called: Foucault current.  an electric current induced in a massive conductor, such as the core of an electromagnet, transformer, etc, by an alternating magnetic field

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Etymology

Origin of eddy current

1590–1600, for an earlier sense

Example Sentences

In one part of the conveyor system, a vibrating panel called an eddy current creates a sort of reverse magnet that repels nonferrous materials like aluminum beverage cans into their own collection area.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

Large magnets pull out metals; aluminum is itself magnetized using what’s known as an eddy current to draw it out.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 5, 2024

If motional emf can cause a current loop in the conductor, we refer to that current as an eddy current.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

When an insulating material is used, the eddy current is extremely small, and so magnetic damping on insulators is negligible.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

By keeping near the coast he had been assisted to the S.E. by the eddy current of the Bahama channel.

From The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (Volume II) by Irving, Washington