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Ballistic Galvanometer PDF
Ballistic Galvanometer PDF
2. Preparatory Task
Read the entire script; familiarise yourself with the learning outcomes and skills
required. If you are not confident in having acquired the skills you will be using
today, make use of the web resource where you can gain further practice. Write a
short paragraph in your lab book giving details about the experiment, its aims and a
brief outline of the theory behind the experiment.
VR ER
I ( P+ G ) = = (1)
( P + G ) ( R + Q )( P + G )
[1 Mark]
2.1 Experimental Preparation
The Galvanometer
If you look closely at an analogue ammeter
or voltmeter you will see that there the
deflection of the arm to give the reading is
controlled through a magnetic coil.
Identify the d.c. power supply E, the hand-held multimeter and the 1Ω resistor, R, on
the desk in front of you.
Identify the resistance boxes (labelled P, Q and S in the script). By turning the dials
on the resistance boxes, the resistance can be varied from a few ohms up-to several
thousand ohms.
Task 1:
Quickly check each of the resistance boxes – P, Q and S. What is the reported
accuracy of the resistance boxes? Measure the resistance of the boxes with the dials
set at 4 different values using the hand held multimeter. Do your measurements agree,
within error, with what the dials say? Make sure that you check that there are no
systematic errors over the entire range of the resistance boxes. What is the error on
the readings for the different scales? [1 Mark]
Full Experiment – The Galvanometer Page 3
3. Ready to Start
The resistance of the galvanometer is governed by the metallic coil. Typical values of
resistance of metallic coils are in the range of 1 to 1000Ω. This range is controlled by
the composition and amount of the coil material. Therefore, in order to use a
galvanometer as a sensitive voltmeter we will need to add a large resistance in series
with it. Recall from skills session 1 that the resistance of a voltmeter should be very
high.
One of the principal reasons for using a galvanometer is their sensitivity to very small
currents. We will therefore need to limit the voltage that will be dropped across the
galvanometer, and hence the current that flows through it. To achieve this we
construct potential and current dividers.
The galvanometer with the resistance box P in series with it act as a voltmeter,
measuring the voltage drop across the 1Ω resistor, VR. The current that flows through
the galvanometer part of the circuit is supplied by this potential difference. VR is made
small by dropping the source voltage E (approx 5V) across the potential divider Q and
R, with Q much larger than R.
The current flowing through the combination of P and G will induce a torque on the
galvanometer coil which in turn will deflect the light beam a distance d, the
magnitude of d being proportional to the current flow:
What are the SI units of k? In what units should you record the deflection?
RE k RE k
= P +G OR P= −G (4)
R +Q d R +Q d
The values of k and G can be found by varying P and recording the displacement of
the galvanometer beam.
Task 4:
Set the power supply to give 5V. Record its value and uncertainty in your lab book.
Construct the circuit below using the components you have already identified.
Initially set P = 1000Ω and Q = 10,000Ω . This should cause the beam to move by a
couple of centimetres. Reduce P and increase Q to keep the deflection on the scale.
Continue until P is zero and then adjust Q to give an almost full scale deflection.
Then keep Q fixed and make a note of its value and uncertainty in your lab book.
From equation (4), a plot of P against 1 d will give a straight line with an intercept
of G. However, as it is P that we are varying (the dependent variable), this should be
β P G
plotted on the x axis. The straight line graph you should plot is = + (c.f.
d k k
RE
y = mx + c ) where β = . Calculate β and its error, and use a spreadsheet to
R+ Q
generate the data in a form that will be suitable for plotting.
Full Experiment – The Galvanometer Page 5
[Hint: The % errors on R, E, Q are all approximately 1%. The error on R+Q is the
same as that of Q alone. Thus, we can approximate the error on β as being 3% ]
Use Excel and Linest to find the slope and intercept of your graph. Make sure you
only use data for which the error bars are not too large in your least squares
calculation. Use these values to determine the current sensitivity k and the value of G.
What are the uncertainties in these measurements?
[2 Marks]
Carefully look at the back of the galvanometer, and you will see a
summary of its properties when it was tested some years ago. Do your
values for the resistance and current sensitivity agree, within error, with
the quoted values?
If the period of oscillation is long in comparison with the transient current; the
electromagnetic pulse created in the coil acts as the impulse to start the coil
oscillating. The angular displacement, θ is directly related to the charge, Q. The
galvanometer you are using has been selected because the coil has a high moment of
inertia which results in a long oscillation period.
However, because of effects of air-resistance and other ‘resistive’ effects within the
coil, these oscillations will be damped, and the coil will eventually come to rest at the
equilibrium point.
Full Experiment – The Galvanometer Page 6
This time the potential divider P and S provides a voltage to charge a standard
capacitor, C. This capacitor can be discharged into the galvanometer using the Morse
key.
t =T4 3T 5T
4 4 (6)
d = a1 a2 a3
A = exp ( −γ t ) (7)
with γ the damping term. It follows then that the ratio of successive amplitudes is
related to the period of oscillation, T, and is given by:
a1 a2 a3
= = ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ = exp γ T
a2 a3 a4 2( ) (8)
Full Experiment – The Galvanometer Page 7
where γ =
( BAn ) . B is the flux density of the magnetic field in which the coil
2 IX
sits, A is the area of the coil and n is the number of turns of wire in the coil. T is the
period of the oscillations and X the total resistance of the galvanometer circuit.
The maximum deflection, which would be achieved in the absence of any damping, is
given by a0 . It is found as follows (using equation (8)):
1
a0 a
( ) ( )
2
The Charge sensitivity can be defined as the maximum amplitude divided by the
charge. Therefore from equation (5) we can write:
K=
a0
= a0
(P + S) OR a0 = K
ECP
(10)
Q ECP (P+ S )
Task 5:
Make ( P + S ) a simple multiple of E (say 1000 × E ) and keep it constant. Set the
capacitor to 0.5µF. For a range of values of P (keeping P+S fixed) measure the
deflections a1 and a2. Use an excel spreadsheet to calculate a0 and its error for each
value of P. From the graph of a0 against P find the slope and its error and hence
obtain a value for K and its error. Compare your answer with the calibrated value on
the back of the galvanometer.
3
a1 2
[Hint: The expression to calculate a0 can be re-written as a0 = 1 . The error on a0
a22
2 2 2
αa 9 αa 1 α a
can therefore be expressed as: 0 = 1 + 2 . The oscillations can be
a0 4 a1 4 a 2
stopped by shorting the galvanometer by pressing the switch when the oscillation pass
the equilibrium point] [2 Marks]
It can be shown that the charge and current sensitivities are related through the period
of the galvanometer:
k
K = 2π (11)
T
Use a stop-watch and measure the period of the galvanometer, and from it the ratio
2π . Compare this with your experimentally measured values of K .
T k
In task 5 you found the charge sensitivity by varying P and measuring the deflection
ECP
of the galvanometer beam, a0 = K . As an alternative, measure the charge
(P+ S )
sensitivity by keeping P, S and E fixed and measuring a0 as a function of capacitance,
C. Use the variable capacitor and investigate the deflection of the beam as C is varied
from 0.1 to 1µF. Do your two values of K agree?
6. To conclude
You will find information on galvanometers in Tipler, and most undergraduate text
books. Damped oscillations appeared as part of the Wave Phenomena course.
For your extended report – You should give a full account of the phenomena
described in this experiment. You should concentrate on providing more background
information about galvanometers. Make sure that your graphs are presented clearly,
and that all error propagations are carefully explained. Compare your experimentally
determined values with those on the back of the galvanometer. Discuss any systematic
errors and describe any possible sources of error in your experiment and how you
could improve the precision of your measurements.