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Mechanical Equivalent of an Inductor is a Mass

The mechanical analog of an inductor is a mass. The voltage $ v(t)$ across an inductor $ L$ corresponds to the force $ f(t)$ used to accelerate a mass $ m$. The current $ i(t)$ through in the inductor corresponds to the velocity $ {\dot x}(t)$ of the mass. Thus, Eq.$ \,$(E.4) corresponds to Newton's second law for an ideal mass:

$\displaystyle f(t) = m a(t), $

where $ a(t)$ denotes the acceleration of the mass $ m$.

From the defining equation $ \phi=Li$ for an inductor [Eq.$ \,$(E.3)], we see that the stored magnetic flux in an inductor is analogous to mass times velocity, or momentum. In other words, magnetic flux may be regarded as electric-charge momentum.

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