Date: 26/09/2012

Surname: Moolla Initails: M

Student Number: 201217594

Experiment: P-The Meter (Wheatstone-type) Bridge and Potentiometer

Aim:

The determination of unknown resistance and EMF (using potential divider concepts)

Theory:

Terminology:

EMF: In electromagnetism, the electromotive force (emf), or electromotance, is the

traditional name for voltage generated by a battery or by the magnetic force according to
Faraday's Law -- which states that a time varying magnetic field will induce a current

Resistance: The electrical resistance of an electrical element measures its opposition to

the passage of an electric current; the inverse quantity is electrical conductance,
measuring how easily electricity flows along a certain path.

Potential divider: In electronics, a voltage divider (also known as a potential divider) is a

simple linear circuit that produces an output voltage (Vout) that is a fraction of its input
voltage (Vin). Voltage division refers to the partitioning of a voltage among the
components of the divider

Weatstone Bridge: A Wheatstone bridge is an electrical circuit used to measure an

unknown electrical resistance by balancing two legs of a bridge circuit, one leg of which
includes the unknown component.
Galvanometer: A galvanometer is a type of ammeter: an instrument for detecting and
measuring electric current.

Resistor theory:

The electrical resistance of a circuit component or device is defined as the

ratio of the voltage applied to the electric current which flows through it:

If the resistance is constant over a considerable range of voltage, then

Ohm's law, I = V/R, can be used to predict the behavior of the material.
Although the definition above involves DC current and voltage, the same
definition holds for the AC application of resistors.
Whether or not a material obeys Ohm's law, its resistance can be described in terms of its
bulk resistivity. The resistivity, and thus the resistance, is temperature dependent. Over
sizable ranges of temperature, this temperature dependence can be predicted from a
temperature coefficient of resistance.
The combination rules for any number of resistors in series or parallel can be derived
with the use of Ohm's Law, the voltage law, and the current law.
The Weatstone-bridge:

In the figure, Rx is the unknown resistance to be measured; R1, R2 and R3 are resistors of
known resistance and the resistance of R2 is adjustable. If the ratio of the two resistances
in the known leg (R2 / R1) is equal to the ratio of the two
in the unknown leg (Rx / R3), then the voltage
between the two midpoints (B and D) will be zero and
no current will flow through the galvanometer
Vg. If the bridge is unbalanced, the direction of
the current indicates whether R2 is too
high or too low. R2 is varied until there is
no current through the galvanometer, which
then reads zero.
Detecting zero current with a galvanometer
can be done to extremely high accuracy.
Therefore, if R1, R2 and R3 are known to high
precision, then Rx can be measured to high precision.
Very small changes in Rx disrupt the balance and are readily detected.
At the point of balance, the ratio of R2 / R1 = Rx / R3
Therefore,
Alternatively, if R1, R2, and R3 are known, but R2 is not adjustable, the voltage difference
across or current flow through the meter can be used to calculate the value of Rx, using
Kirchhoff's circuit laws (also known as Kirchhoff's rules). This setup is frequently used in
strain gauge and resistance thermometer measurements, as it is usually faster to read a
voltage level off a meter than to adjust a resistance to zero the voltage.

Derivation:

First, Kirchhoff's first rule is used to find the currents in junctions B and D:

Then, Kirchhoff's second rule is used for finding the voltage in the loops ABD and BCD:

The bridge is balanced and Ig = 0, so the second set of equations can be rewritten as:

Then, the equations are divided and rearranged, giving:

From the first rule, I3 = Ix and I1 = I2. The desired value of Rx is now known to be given
as:

If all four resistor values and the supply voltage (VS) are known, and the resistance of the
galvanometer is high enough that Ig is negligible, the voltage across the bridge (VG) can
be found by working out the voltage from each potential divider and subtracting one from
the other. The equation for this is:

This can be simplified to:

where VG is the voltage of node B relative to node D

Resistors:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/resis.html#c3

Weatstone-bridge:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wheatstonebridge.svg

Experimental procedure:

Part 1:

1. Construct the circuit.

2. Take into account the polarity of components (Red is +, and Black is -)
3. Move the knifepoint on the side wire so that the galvanometer reads zero, which
means there is no current passing through it.
4. Record the position and calculate the unknown resistance using the formula
R1/R2=L1/L2
5. Repeat measurement.
6. Repeat with a different potential.
Part 2:

1. Construct the circuit.

2. Use the side wire to create a variable EMF.
3. Set the Voltage source on 2V
4. Use a standard cell (1.02V)
5. Move the knifepoint on the side wire so that the galvanometer reads zero, which
means there is no current passing through it.
6. Record position and calculate the unknown EMF using the formula X=(Lx/Ls)(S)
7. Repeat measurement.
8. Repeat with a voltage of 2.5V