RAMACHANDRAA PUBLIC SCHOOL

PHYSICS
INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT

SUBMITTED BY:
S.Praveen Kumar
XII-A
WHEAT STONE
BRIDGE
 INDEX

S.No Content
1 Introduction
2 Principle
3 Aim
4 Materials required
5 Circuit Diagram
6 Construction
7 Working
8 Derivation
9 Application
10 Conclusion
11 Bibliography
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to extend my sincere and heartfelt obligation

towards all those who have helped me in making this
project. Without their active guidance, help, cooperation
and encouragement, I would not have been able to present
the project on time.

I am extremely thankful and pay my sincere gratitude to my

teacher____________________________ for her valuable
guidance and support for completion of this project.

I e x t e n d m y s i n c e re g r a t i t u d e t o m y P r i n c i p a l
_________________________ for the moral support extended
during tenure of this project.

I also acknowledge with a deep sense of reverence, my

gratitude towards my parents, other faculty members of the
school and friends for their valuable suggestions given to
me in completing the project.

Date:
Place:
 AIM

To study the construction

and application of wheat
stone bridge
 INTRODUCTION

Samuel Hunter Christie invented the

Wheatstone bridge in the year 1833,
which became popular with the works of
Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1843. An
electrical circuit that is set up to measure
the unknown value of a resistor and
creates a balance between the two legs of
the bridge circuit is called a Wheatstone
Bridge. As shown in the gure below,
three resistances are known (one is
variable/adjustable) and the
fourth one has to be found out. Compared
to the other measuring instruments such
as voltage divider, the concept of
Wheatstone bridge is widely used
because of the accuracy in its
measurement of resistance.
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 MATERIALS REQUIRED

• A resistor with an unknown

resistance value.
• Two resistors (with known
resistance value)
• Variable Resistor (a device like
Rheostat or Preset could work)
• Voltage/DC source
• Galvanometer (or any device
which indicates the voltage
difference or the flow of current)
• Connecting Wires
• Circuit Construction
• Construction of Wheatstone Bridge
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
WORKING MODEL
 WORKING
The Wheatstone bridge's working principle
relies on the concept of electrical balance,
where adjustments to known and unknown
resistances lead to a state where currents
cancel out, indicating equilibrium. This
balanced state allows for accurate
determination of the unknown resistance by
comparing it to the known resistances in a
precise manner. The Wheatstone bridge is
widely used in various applications, such as
measuring resistance, strain, temperature,
and other physical quantities, due to its high
accuracy and sensitivity.
 CONSTRUCTION

The Wheatstone bridge consists of four resistors

arranged in a diamond-shaped pattern, with a
voltage source applied across two opposite
corners and a galvanometer (a sensitive current-
measuring instrument) connected across the
other two corners. The resistors are typically
labeled as follows:
• R1: Known resistance
• R2: Variable resistance (usually the
unknown resistance to be measured)
• R3: Known resistance
• R4: Reference resistance

The bridge is balanced when there is no current

owing through the galvanometer, which occurs
when the ratio of resistances on one side of the
bridge equals the ratio on the other side.
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 APPLICATIONS
• Resistance Measurement: The primary application of
the Wheatstone bridge is to measure unknown
resistances. It is widely used in laboratories and
industries for accurate resistance measurements.

• Strain Gauges: Strain gauges are devices that change

their resistance in response to mechanical
deformation. Wheatstone bridges are used to measure
these changes and infer the amount of strain
experienced by the material.

• Temperature Sensors: Many temperature-sensitive

resistors (thermistors) change resistance with
temperature. Wheatstone bridges can be used to
measure these changes and determine the
temperature.

• Pressure Sensors: Some pressure sensors utilize

Wheatstone bridge con gurations to measure the
strain caused by pressure changes, which can then be
correlated to pressure measurements.

• Bridge Ampli ers: Modern electronics have

incorporated the Wheatstone bridge concept into
bridge ampli er circuits, which allow for signal
ampli cation while maintaining high accuracy in
measurements.
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 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the Wheatstone Bridge is a

fundamental and versatile electrical circuit
used for accurately measuring resistance
values. It has played a crucial role in various
applications, from scienti c research to
engineering, by providing a reliable method
for determining unknown resistances with
precision. Understanding and implementing
the Wheatstone Bridge is essential for anyone
involved in electrical and electronic elds, as it
serves as a cornerstone for many measurement
and calibration processes.
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DERIVATION
 PRINCIPLE
Kirchoff's 1st Law :

The Algebraic sum of current entering

the junction is equal to the algebraic
sum of current leaving the junction

Kirchoff's 2nd Law :

Algebraic sum of EMF in any Loop of

circuit is equal to the sum of product of
resistance and current in circuit
 Bibliography

• Byjus

• Anusha Rao (Youtube)

• Ankit Kumar Shrivas

( Youtube)