EE 213: Electrical Instrumentation

& measurement
(2 Credit Hours)
The elementary voltage divider shown in Figure often can be used
to provide conversion of resistance variation into a voltage
variation.
The voltage of such a divider is given by the well-known
relationship

Either R1 or R2 can be the sensor whose resistance varies with

some measured variable.
Assignment 2 (a)

Verify the Maximum Power Transfer theorem on Matlab. Rs

and Rl will be your name in Matlab. (24-03-2022)
Bridge Circuits
Bridge circuits are used to convert impedance variations into voltage
variations.

Wheatstone Bridge

The simplest and most common bridge circuit is the dc Wheatstone bridge,
as shown in Figure
In Figure, the object labeled D is a voltage detector used to compare
the potentials of points a and b of the network.

assume the detector impedance is infinite—that is, an open circuit.

In this case, the potential difference, ∆V , between points a and

b is simply

∆ V = Va - Vb
Equation (7) shows how the difference in potential across the detector is a
function of the supply voltage and the values of the resistors.

Because a difference appears in the numerator of Equation (7), it is clear

that a particular combination of resistors can be found that will result in zero
difference and zero voltage across the detector—that is, a null.

Obviously, this combination,

R3R2 = R1R4

indicates that whenever a Wheatstone bridge is assembled and resistors

are adjusted for a detector null, the resistor values must satisfy the indicated
equality.
It does not matter if the supply voltage drifts or changes; the null is
maintained.
Galvanometer Detector

The use of a galvanometer as a null detector in the bridge circuit

introduces some differences in our calculations because the detector
resistance may be low and because we must determine the bridge
offset as current offset.

The easiest way to determine the offset current is first to find the Thévenin
equivalent circuit between points a and b of the bridge
The Thévenin voltage is simply the open-circuit voltage difference
between points a and b of the circuit.

The Thévenin resistance is found by replacing the supply voltage by its

internal resistance and calculating the resistance between terminals a and
b of the network. We may assume that the internal resistance of the supply
is negligible compared to the bridge arm resistances.
Assignment 2 (b)

Prove that Thévenin resistance seen at points a and b of

the wheatstone bridge is
The Thévenin equivalent circuit for the bridge enables us to easily
determine the current through any galvanometer with internal resistance,