When using a potentiometer to measure the emf of a cell, what is the condition for balance?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
When using a potentiometer to measure the emf of a cell, what is the condition for balance?
The current through the potentiometer must be maximum.
The potential difference across the cell must equal the potential drop across the wire.
The resistance of the potentiometer must be zero.
The length of the wire must be zero.
At balance, the potential difference across the cell equals the potential drop across the potentiometer wire.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: When using a potentiometer to measure the emf of a cell, what is the condition for balance?
Solution: At balance, the potential difference across the cell equals the potential drop across the potentiometer wire.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand what a potentiometer is. It is a device used to measure the electromotive force (emf) of a cell.
Step 2: Know that the potentiometer has a wire with a uniform resistance along its length.
Step 3: When you connect the cell to the potentiometer, you want to find a point on the wire where the voltage is equal to the emf of the cell.
Step 4: The condition for balance is reached when the voltage across the cell is equal to the voltage drop across a specific length of the potentiometer wire.
Step 5: At this point of balance, no current flows through the galvanometer connected to the potentiometer, indicating that the two voltages are equal.
