In: Physics
An inductor blocks AC while allowing DC because it resists a change in current.
The equation of an inductor is
di/dt = V/L
meaning that the rate of change of current is proportional to
voltage and inversely proportional to inductance.
If we apply DC across an inductor, it will stabilize to some current flow based on the maximum current available from the current / voltage source. In this mode, the inductor presents very low resistance, so it can be said that it allows DC to pass.
If, however, you apply AC across an inductor, you need to consider its inductive reactance by integrating the above equation in terms of the circuit conditions. The equation for inductive reactance is
meaning that the inductive reactance is proportional to the frequency and to the inductance.
the higher the frequency, the higher the reactance. Since reactance is a phasor measure of resistance, it can be thus said that an inductor will block AC