ABSTRACT
According to the energy conversion principle, energy is neither created nor destroyed: it is simply changed in form. The role of electromagnetic (or electromechanical) machines is to transmit energy or convert it from one type of energy to another. In electric motors, electrical energy is converted to mechanical energy (and heat). In electric generators, mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy (and heat). This chapter reviews the fundamental concepts of electric machines and discusses how force is produced on a conductor in a magnetic field. This concept is then revisited in future chapters for different types of electric machines.
