The MOSFET is a voltage-controlled device, which means that for it to switch on, a voltage must be present at the gate (with respect to the source). The IRFP460A has a gate threshold voltage of 2V to 4V in this situation, and it only just begins to conduct at this value. The gate voltage must be at least 10V to produce the specified-on resistance of 0.27. The gate voltage has a maximum limit of 20V, after which the gate can be damaged.
In the low-side switching mode, power MOSFETs like the IRFP460A are commonly employed. The MOSFET is utilized to switch an inductive load at a frequency of 10kHz in the interactive simulation linked below. The diode across the inductor prevents the MOSFET from being damaged by voltage spikes. The 10K pulldown resistor ensures that the MOSFET is turned off by default and not unintentionally turned on.