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Inductors in Parallel Calculator

Use Omni's inductors in parallel calculator to work out the equivalent inductance in a parallel circuit.

Clear
Total inductance599.768 µH3 components in parallel — the reciprocals add, so the total is below the smallest
Number of components3
Sum of the values7.9 mHnot the answer here
Smallest value1 mH
Largest value4.7 mH
Component 11 mH59.98% of the total comes through this one
Component 22.2 mH27.26% of the total comes through this one
Component 34.7 mH12.76% of the total comes through this one
In series instead7.9 mHthe same components, arranged the other way
Note for capacitorsthey combine the opposite waycapacitors add in parallel and combine reciprocally in series — the reverse of what you see here
Equal components in this arrangement333.3333 µHn identical components combine to one nth of a single value, whenever the reciprocals add

The formula

series and parallel combination — capacitors work the opposite way

Capacitors are the exception

Resistors and inductors add in series and combine reciprocally in parallel. Capacitors do exactly the reverse: they add in parallel and combine reciprocally in series.

It is not arbitrary. What actually adds in series is always impedance, and a capacitor's impedance is inversely proportional to its capacitance. Adding impedances in series therefore means adding reciprocals of capacitance, which is where the apparent inversion comes from. Physically, putting capacitors in series is like making the dielectric thicker, which reduces capacitance; putting them in parallel is like making the plates bigger, which increases it.

Two useful consequences. Whenever reciprocals add, the total is always smaller than the smallest individual component, and n identical components give exactly one nth of a single value. That gives you a quick sanity check: a parallel resistance larger than any of its resistors is an arithmetic error.