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coil
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Diagram of a car highlighting its electrical system, with labeled components such as the instrument panel, ignition system, battery, fuse blocks, wiring harnesses, and spark plugs, showing how power is distributed to various vehicle functions.
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coil

electronics
Also known as: winding
Written and fact-checked by
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History

coil, in an electric circuit, one or more turns, usually roughly circular or cylindrical, of current-carrying wire designed to produce a magnetic field or to provide electrical resistance or inductance; in the latter case, a coil is also called a choke coil (see also inductance). A soft iron core placed within a coil produces an electromagnet. A cylindrical coil that moves a plunger within it by variations in the current through the coil is known as a solenoid (q.v.).