Inductors. An inductor is a basic electronic component that consists of a coil of wire typically wrapped around a soft iron core. When the electrical current is passed through the wire, a magnetic field is created inside the coil which in turn interacts with the current itself. Shown here are inductors with rod-shaped and toroidal cores. Toroidal inductors are often used in circuits as chokes to block a particular frequency thus preventing electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference.