Question

Two circular loops are placed with their centres separated by a fixed distance. How would you orient the loops to have (a) the largest mutual inductance (b) the smallest mutual inductance?

Answer 1

(a) For the largest mutual inductance, the two loops should be placed coaxially. In this case, flux through a loop due to another loop is the largest; hence, mutual inductance is the largest.

(b) For the smallest mutual inductance, the two loops should be placed such that their axes are perpendicular to each other. In this case, flux through a loop due to another loop is the smallest (zero); hence, mutual inductance is the smallest.