If the resistance R1 is increased in a Wheatstone bridge, what happens to the ba
Practice Questions
Q1
If the resistance R1 is increased in a Wheatstone bridge, what happens to the balance condition?
It remains balanced
It becomes unbalanced
It depends on R2
It depends on R3 and R4
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If the resistance R1 is increased in a Wheatstone bridge, what happens to the balance condition?
Step 1: Understand what a Wheatstone bridge is. It is a circuit used to measure unknown resistances by balancing two legs of a bridge circuit.
Step 2: Identify the components of the Wheatstone bridge. It has four resistors: R1, R2, R3, and R4.
Step 3: Know the balance condition. The bridge is balanced when the ratio of R1 to R2 is equal to the ratio of R3 to R4 (R1/R2 = R3/R4).
Step 4: Consider what happens when R1 is increased. If R1 increases, the ratio R1/R2 changes unless R2 is also changed.
Step 5: Realize that if R2 is not adjusted, the balance condition will be disturbed. This means the bridge will no longer be balanced.
Step 6: Conclude that to maintain balance after increasing R1, R2 must be adjusted accordingly.
Wheatstone Bridge Balance Condition – The balance condition in a Wheatstone bridge is achieved when the ratio of resistances in one leg equals the ratio in the other leg, allowing for zero voltage across the galvanometer.
Effect of Resistance Change – Changing one resistance in the bridge (like R1) affects the balance condition unless compensatory adjustments are made to the other resistances (like R2).
