Could someone please explain, in relatively simple words, how an electrical transformer works?
Its two sets of windings (sometimes more but simple one is two), usually copper with enamel coating. The are both wound on the same iron core. The iron core is laminated to reduce losses. The transformer ratio is determined by the number of windings. A primary of 1000 windings and secondary of 100 windings would give a voltage output 1000/100 10 times less than the input. The same transformer could be used to give 10 times more by putting the voltage into the other winding.
they change the voltage of electrical currents. transformers have 2 coils. they use electromagnetic induction to transfer the electrical energy from the primary coil to the secondary coil. transformers can only operate using ac currents. it is because the current needs to change direction to move the magnetic field of the coil, so that the secondary coil can produce its own electric current using the magnetic field from the primary coil coils can only induce currents when they are exposed to moving magnetic fields. ac currents produce moving fields along the wires. so they can transfer from the primary coil to the secondary coil but at a lower voltage because of the difference of the no. of turns of the coils. there are 2 types of transformers. step-up and step-down. step-up: more turns in the secondary than in the primary. step-down: more turns in the primary than in the secondary. transformers can also change the amount of current.
You need to understand how a magnetic field interacts with coils of wire. If you know how a generator works, then it is a simple step from there to transformers since the basis for a generator's magnetic field cutting through coils of wire is essentially the same thing as how a transformer works.
In simple words, what a transformer does is reduce the voltage on an alternating current. An alternating current is the one that has sin wave for. In other words, the voltage in one moment is positive and in the next moment it's negative. This is what makes posible for a transformer to work. A transformer consists of two coils that are put one next to the other. For example, you can get a coil by turning a wire around a screwdriver. One of the coils has less turns of the wire than the other. It is said that when you pass current through a coil, you will get a magnetic field. This magnetic field will depend on the number of turns the wire has on the coil. It works on the other way too, if you induce a magnetic field on a coil, it will generate a current. Why does this work?. Well, you can imagine a copper wire as a collection of little magnets surrounded by electrons. Well, when you pass the wire through a magnetic field, all the magnets will head to the same direction and this will make the electrons move with them. This is the principle a transformer uses. You induce an AC current through one of the coil and this creates a magnetic field. This magnetic field passes through the other coil making the electrons move and since the second coil has less turns than the first one, you get a smaller voltage. Why can't you use a transformer on DC? Because when all the little magnets move in one direction with DC, they stay that way and you won't get a current, you need to keep them moving so it works. Hope this helps.
