A current induced in a conductor situated in a changing magnetic field or moving in a fixed one. Any imagined circuit within the conductor will change its magnetic flux linkage, and the consequent induced e.m.f. will drive current around the circuit. In a substantial block of metal the resistance will be small and the current therefore large. Eddy currents occur in the cores of transformers and other electrical machines and represent a loss of useful energy (the eddy-current loss). To reduce this loss to a minimum metal cores are made of insulated sheets of metal, the resistance between these laminations reducing the current. In high-frequency circuits ferrite cores can be used. Eddy currents in a moving conductor interact with the magnetic field producing them to retard the motion of the conductor. This enables some electrical instruments (moving-coil type) to utilize eddy currents to create damping and hence a stable reading in a short time. Eddy currents are also used in induction heating.