Either an electric current is passed through the wire of the coil to generate a magnetic field, or conversely, an external time-varying magnetic field through the interior of the coil generates an EMF (voltage) in the conductor.
[3] The advantage of using the coil shape is that it increases the strength of the magnetic field produced by a given current.
Conversely, a changing external magnetic flux induces a voltage in a conductor such as a wire, due to Faraday's law of induction.
[3][4] The induced voltage can be increased by winding the wire into a coil because the field lines intersect the circuit multiple times.
[3] The direction of the magnetic field produced by a coil can be determined by the right hand grip rule.
The end of a magnetic core from which the field lines emerge is defined to be the North pole.
[5] The hole in the center of the coil is called the core area or magnetic axis.
The winding is often wrapped around a coil form made of plastic or other material to hold it in place.
These are coils used to translate time-varying magnetic fields to electric signals, and vice versa.