EXPERIMENT NO.

-5

Carey Foster’s bridge

OBJECT: To determine the resistance per unit length of Carey Foster’s bridge wire and specific
resistance of the material of the given wire using Carey Foster’s bridge.

APPARATUS USED: Carey Foster’s bridge, rheostat, Battery eliminator, copper strip,
galvanometer, plug key, given wire whose specific resistance is to be determined, resistance box,
connecting wires and screw gauge.

THEORY:

The Carey Foster bridge is an electrical circuit that can be used to measure very small resistances. It
works on the same principle as Wheatstone’s bridge, which consists of four resistances, P, Q, R and S
that are connected to each other as shown below. In this circuit, G is a galvanometer. If the values of
the resistances are adjusted so that no current flows through the galvanometer, then if any three of the
resistances P, Q, R and S are known, the fourth unknown resistance can be determined by using the
relationship
𝑃 𝑅
=
𝑄 𝑆

You may be familiar with the post office box and the meter bridge, which also work on the same
principle as Wheatstone’s bridge. In the meter bridge, two of the resistors, R and S, say, are replaced
by a one meter length of resistance wire, with uniform cross-sectional area fixed on a meter scale. Point
D is an electrical contact that can be moved along the wire, thus varying the magnitudes of resistances
R and S. The Carey Foster Bridge is a modified form of the meter bridge in which the effective length
of the wire is considerably increased by connecting a resistance in series with each end of the wire. This
increases the accuracy of the bridge. While performing this experiment you will balance the Carey
Foster bridge by a null deflection method using a galvanometer. You will first determine the resistance
per unit length of the material used for the bridge wire, and will then determine the value of an unknown
resistance.

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM:

The four points A, B, C and D in this figure exactly correspond to the points labeled A, B, C and D in
the circuit diagram of Wheatstone’s bridge, and thus the Carey Foster Bridge effectively works like a
Wheatstone’s bridge. If the balance point is located at a distance l1 from E, then we can write the
condition of balance as

where a and ß are the end corrections at the left and right ends. If the positions of X and Y are
interchanged, i.e., X is put in gap 4 and Y in gap 1, and the balance point is found at a distance l2 from
E, then the balance condition becomes

Combining above Equations then Adding 1 on both sides and simplifying, we get

X-Y = ρ (l2-l1)

FORMULA USED

The resistance per unit length of Carey’s Foster’s bridge wire (ρ) is related to the difference between
two nearly equal resistances connected in the outer gaps of a Carey Foster’s bridge as,
X-Y = ρ (l2-l1) (1)
where X=Resistance connected,
Y=Resistance of copper strip connected to the right gap
 -3-
ρ=Resistance per unit length of the bridge wire.
l1, l 2= length of balance point on the bridge wire measured from the left reference zero before and
after interchanging the X and Y resistances.
The specific resistance (k), of material of a given wire can be calculated from the formula:

R r 2
k  (2)
L
where, R = resistance of the given wire
L = length of the given wire
r = radius of the given wire.
The resistance of the given wire
R  X  (l2 l1)
where, l1 and l2 are the length of balance points measured from left reference zero before and

after interchanging the resistance introduced (X) and given wire in place of the copper strip (Y)

PROCE DURE

The method can be followed in the following steps:

(1) Method for Determination of the Resistance per Unit Length of the Bridge Wire
1. The standard resistance is kept in the outer left gap for X and thick copper strip in the outer
right gap for Y (fig (1)). The ratio arms P and Q can be obtained by connecting the lower
terminals of the rheostat to the points A and C and its upper terminal kept at the middle and
connected to the sliding contact to the galvanometer G.
2. The key (K) is closed and the jockey is then made to touch the bridge wire near its ends. The
deflections in the galvanometer in the two cases must be in opposite directions. However, if
only one-sided deflection is observed then the connections should be rechecked and screws
properly tightened, seeing that the ends of the connecting wire are perfectly clean.
3. Introduce some resistance X in the resistance box and by sliding the jockey null point is
obtained. The distance of null point l1 from left reference zero ends is noted.
4. Now interchange the position of resistance box and the copper strip. Again the balance is
obtained for the same applied resistance in the box. Let the null point from the left reference
zero be l2.
5. Change the value of X by 1ohm and obtain different sets of observation as described in above
steps.
6. Calculate the value of ρ separately by taking Y=0 for each set using the formula:

X

(l2  l1 )

7. Obtain the mean value of ρ.

 (2) Method For Determining the Resistance of the Given Wire: -
The experiment is repeated exactly in the same manner as stated above by replacing the copper strip
with the given wire and retaining the same resistance X. The resistance of the given wire R, is then
calculated by the value of ρ by,
R  X   (l ' 2 l '1 )
Take different sets by changing the value of resistance in the resistance box.
(3) Determination of the Length and Diameter of the Given Wire:-
1. The length of the resistance wire between the terminals is measured by a meter scale and its
mean radius is obtained by measuring its diameter at two-three places in two mutually
perpendicular directions by a screw gauge.
2. Having obtained the values of the specific resistance is calculated by using equation (2) given
above
OBSERVATIONS: [A] Observations for Determination of ρ:
Standard X
S. Distance of null point from the left end (l2-l1) 
resistance (l 2  l1 )
No. of bridge wire cm.
used (X) Ω cm-1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The mean value of ρ = ……….Ω cm-1
[B] Observations for Determination of the Resistance of Given Wire:-
Distance of null point from left
end of the bridge wire
Resistance in
Standard Resistance X in Resistance of the wire
the right gap (l ' 2 l '1 )
No. resistance the left gap and R  X   (l ' 2 l '1 ) Ω
and given cm.
used (X) given wire in the
wire in the
right gap
left gap
( l '1 cm).
( l ' 2 cm)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The mean value of R = ……. Ω
[C] Observations for Length and Diameter of Given Wire:-
Length of the given wire (L) =…..cm
Least count of the screw gauge =Pitch/total no. of circular scale divisions = …….mm
Observed diameter of the wire in Mean
S.No (a+b)/2
One direction Perpendicular direction

1.
2.
3.
4.

Mean diameter = …..cm

RESULT:-
Resistance per unit length of Carey Foster’s bridge wire = ……..Ω cm-1
Specific resistance of the material of the given wire ………..Ω cm.
SOURCES OF ERROR AND PRECAUTION:
1. A key should be used and it should be closed only while observations are being made.
2. While checking the null point the cell key should be closed first and then the jockey should
be made to touch the bridge wire.
3. The jockey should be pressed gently and momentarily. It should not be dragged along the
length of wire otherwise it will spoil the bridge wire.
4. While determining the value of ρ the value of the standard resistance should be smaller
than the resistance of the bridge wire, otherwise null point shall not be obtained.

MAXIMUM PROBABLE ERROR:

Specific resistance (k) is given by:

k = πr2R/ L
Taking log on both sides:

log k = logR + 2 log r - log l

Differentiating and taking maximum:

k R r l
 2 
k R r l