What does the ratio of turns in the primary coil to the turns in the secondary coil represent?

The ratio of turns in the primary coil to the turns in the secondary coil in a transformer is directly linked to how the voltages and currents are transformed between the two coils. This concept stems from the principle of electromagnetic induction, which governs how transformers operate.

When an alternating current flows through the primary coil, it creates a changing magnetic field that induces a voltage in the secondary coil. The ratio of the number of turns in the primary coil to that in the secondary coil is critical in determining the output voltage. Specifically, this ratio dictates that the voltage induced in the secondary coil is proportional to the ratio of turns. For example, if the secondary coil has more turns than the primary coil, then the secondary voltage will be higher than the primary voltage, a condition known as a step-up transformer. Conversely, if the secondary coil has fewer turns, it results in a lower secondary voltage, characterizing a step-down transformer.

Moreover, this same ratio inversely affects the currents in the respective coils. If the voltage increases (step-up transformer), the current in the secondary coil decreases, and vice versa, adhering to the conservation of energy principle where power is conserved in the ideal transformer (neglecting losses). Thus, the relationship between the number of turns