What is the potential difference across the galvanometer in a balanced Wheatstone bridge?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
What is the potential difference across the galvanometer in a balanced Wheatstone bridge?
Zero
Equal to the supply voltage
Depends on the resistances
Half of the supply voltage
In a balanced Wheatstone bridge, the potential difference across the galvanometer is zero, indicating no current flows through it.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: What is the potential difference across the galvanometer in a balanced Wheatstone bridge?
Solution: In a balanced Wheatstone bridge, the potential difference across the galvanometer is zero, indicating no current flows through it.
Steps: 6
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, R4) and a galvanometer.
Step 3: Know what 'balanced' means in this context. A Wheatstone bridge is balanced when the ratio of the resistances in one leg is equal to the ratio in the other leg (R1/R2 = R3/R4).
Step 4: Recognize the role of the galvanometer. The galvanometer measures current, and it is connected between the two midpoints of the bridge.
Step 5: Understand what happens when the bridge is balanced. When the ratios are equal, the potential difference (voltage) across the galvanometer is zero.
Step 6: Conclude that since the potential difference is zero, no current flows through the galvanometer.
