The Skin Effect

As current makes it's way down a wire we know there are collisions and parasitic effects. The parasitic effects are defined by the telegrapher's model. When considering the skin effect one has to look at the series inductance in the telegrapher's model. Electrons undergoing conduction are going to find themselves in the middle of the conductor, at the periphery of the conductor or somewhere in-between.

Electrons will push outwards from the center of the conductor and they spin. The spin of electrons creates the 'magnetic' field outside the wire. The same effect goes on inside the wire creating tight spins of electrons.

Lenz's law deals with the conservation of angular momentum as tight spinning electrons cause a bigger more broad current eddy in the surrounding conductor. These eddy currents set up in a current carrying conductor.

The eddy currents set up within a cylindrical shaped conductor. The eddy currents push downwards and backwards counter to the main conducting current. The eddy currents add up to oppose the main conducting current.

Eddy currents are only an issue for alternating current. As the frequency of the alternating current rises so too do the skin effects. The skin depth of alternating current on a conductor decreases as conducting current frequency increases.