It is well-known that a considerable proportion of the effective resistance of inductive coils when used at radio frequencies is caused by the eddy-currents set up in the wires of the coils by the alternating magnetic field in which they are situated, and that in extreme cases the alternating current resistance may amount to more than one hundred times the direct current resistance. It is therefore important to have reliable formulæ for the eddy-current resistance of such coils in order to determine the conditions which will reduce the eddy-current losses to a minimum. The simplest case, that of a long straight cylindrical wire under the action of its own current, has been treated by Kelvin, Rayleigh, Heaviside, and others. The general effect is known as the “skin effect,” because the current tends to concentrate more and more upon the skin of the conductor as the frequency increases.