A generator is a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by using the principle of magnetic induction. Magnetic induction is used to produce a voltage by rotating coils of wire through a stationary magnetic field, as shown in Figure 13, or by rotating a magnetic field through stationary coils of wire. This is one of the most useful and widely-employed applications of producing vast quantities of electric power. Magnetic induction will be studied in more detail in the next two chapters “Magnetism,” and “Magnetic Circuits.”
