What Are Transformers Used For?

Modern civilization would be impossible without the technology of transformers. The very concept of AC electricity does not work without them, so in a world without transformers, many of our common devices would be very different, and the power grid as we know it would not exist. This is one of the key inventions fundamental in the creation of the electrified world.

Identification

A transformer is a device for changing the voltage of electricity. In popular use, it refers to the type of transformer that steps high voltage electricity down to the level necessary for domestic use. If you have electrical feed wires on telephone poles in your neighborhood, look around. Transformers in America often appear as large cylinders perched atop a telephone pole, with three or four feed cables running into nearby houses.

Effects

A transformer changes voltage by means of mutual electromagnetic induction. The electrical current running through the primary coil/circuit is used to create a magnetic field. Changes in the current will result in changes in the magnetic field, which in turn will alter the voltage of the secondary coil/circuit.

Function

There are four common uses for transformers. Two are to step up voltage for high-voltage power transmission, and then step it down for distribution and consumption. This is done between power plants and consumers. A third is in the voltage converter available for travelers leaving North America. North American electricity is distributed for consumption at 110 volts, while internationally it is more common to see it used at 220 volts. Thus, American computers and other appliances that are taken abroad need further transformation to be safely used. Finally, transformers are found in every AC adapter.

History

The science behind transformers were demonstrated in principle by Michael Faraday in 1831. Transformers for commercial application came into their own between the mid-1880s and the early 1890s. The technology was a result of a combination of independent efforts by Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky, William Stanely and Nikola Tesla.

Expert Insight

One of the amazing things about transformers is that they are perhaps the most energy-efficient machines designed by man. Most designs suffer very little power loss in changing voltages. The least-efficient designs are actually those found in the common power adapters, such as the one attached to laptop computers. However, even these transformers are more than twice as energy efficient as an internal combustion engine, for example.