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physics 11th 12th standard school college definition answer assignment examination viva question

Moving coil galvanometer : Principle, Construction, Pointer

type moving coil galvanometer, Current sensitivity of a
galvanometer
Posted On : 03.11.2015 07:35 am

Moving coil galvanometer is a device used for measuring the current in a circuit. Principle: Moving coil galvanometer works on the principle that a current
carrying coil placed in a magnetic field experiences a torque.

Moving coil galvanometer

Moving coil galvanometer is a device used for measuring the current in a circuit.

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MOVING COIL GALVANOMETER : PRINCIPLE, CONSTRUCTION... http://www.readorrefer.in/article/Moving-coil-galvanometer-----Principle...

Principle

Moving coil galvanometer works on the principle that a current carrying coil placed in a magnetic field experiences a
torque.

Construction

It consists of a rectangular coil of a large number of turns of thin insulated copper wire wound over a light metallic
frame (Fig 3.26). The coil is suspended between the pole pieces of a horse-shoe magnet by a fine phosphor bronze strip from a
movable torsion head. The lower end of the coil is connected to a hair spring (HS) of phosphor bronze having only a few turns.
The other end of the spring is connected to a binding screw. A soft iron cylinder is placed symmetrically inside the coil. The
hemispherical magnetic poles produce a radial magnetic field in which the plane of the coil is parallel to the magnetic field in all
its positions (Fig 3.27).

A small plane mirror (m) attached to the suspension wire is used along with a lamp and scale arrangement to measure the
deflection of the coil.

Let PQRS be a single turn of the coil (Fig 3.28). A current I flows through the coil. In a radial magnetic field, the plane of
the coil is always parallel to the magnetic field. Hence the sides QR and SP are always parallel to the field. So, they do not
experience any force. The sides PQ and RS are always perpendicular to the field.

PQ = RS = l, length of the coil and PS = QR = b, breadth of the coil

Force on PQ, F = BI (PQ) = BIl. According to Flemings left hand rule, this force is normal to the plane of the coil and acts
outwards.

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Force on RS, F = BI (RS) = BIl.

This force is normal to the plane of the coil and acts inwards. These two equal, oppositely directed parallel forces having
different lines of action constitute a couple and deflect the coil. If there are n turns in the coil,

moment of the deflecting couple = n BIl b (Fig 3.29)

moment of the deflecting couple = nBIA

When the coil deflects, the suspension wire is twisted. On account of elasticity, a restoring couple is set up in the wire. This
couple is proportional to the twist. If is the angular twist, then,

moment of the restoring couple = C

where C is the restoring couple per unit twist

At equilibrium, deflecting couple = restoring couple nBIA = C

i.e I . Since the deflection is directly proportional to the current flowing through the coil, the scale is linear and is
calibrated to give directly the value of the current.

Pointer type moving coil galvanometer

The suspended coil galvanometers are very sensitive. They can measure current of the order of 10-8 ampere. Hence these

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galvanometers have to be carefully handled. So, in the laboratory, for experiments like Wheatstones bridge, where sensitivity is
not required, pointer type galvanometers are used. In this type of galvanometer, the coil is pivoted on ball bearings. A lighter
aluminium pointer attached to the coil moves over a scale when current is passed. The restoring couple is provided by a spring.

Current sensitivity of a galvanometer.

The current sensitivity of a galvanometer is defined as the deflection produced when unit current passes through the
galvanometer. A galvanometer is said to be sensitive if it produces large deflection for a small current.

The current sensitivity of a galvanometer can be increased by

1. increasing the number of turns

2. increasing the magnetic induction

3. increasing the area of the coil

4. decreasing the couple per unit twist of the suspension wire. This explains why phosphor-bronze wire is used as the
suspension wire which has small couple per unit twist.

Voltage sensitivity of a galvanometer

The voltage sensitivity of a galvanometer is defined as the deflection per unit voltage.

where G is the galvanometer resistance.

An interesting point to note is that, increasing the current sensitivity does not necessarily, increase the voltage sensitivity.
When the number of turns (n) is doubled, current sensitivity is also doubled (equation 1). But increasing the number of turns
correspondingly increases the resistance (G). Hence voltage sensitivity remains unchanged.

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Conversion of galvanometer into an ammeter

A galvanometer is a device used to detect the flow of current in an electrical circuit. Eventhough the deflection is directly
proportional to the current, the galvanometer scale is not marked in ampere. Being a very sensitive instrument, a large current
cannot be passed through the galvanometer, as it may damage the coil. However, a galvanometer is converted into an ammeter
by connecting a low resistance in parallel with it. As a result, when large current flows in a circuit, only a small fraction of the
current passes through the galvanometer and the remaining larger portion of the current passes through the low resistance. The
low resistance connected in parallel with the galvanometer is called shunt resistance. The scale is marked in ampere.

The value of shunt resistance depends on the fraction of the total current required to be passed through the galvanometer. Let
Ig be the maximum current that can be passed through the galvanometer. The current Ig will give full scale deflection in the
galvanometer.

Galvanometer resistance = G

Shunt resistance = S

Current in the circuit = I

Current through the shunt resistance = Is = (IIg)

Since the galvanometer and shunt resistance are parallel, potential is common.

The shunt resistance is very small because Ig is only a fraction of I.

The effective resistance of the ammeter Ra is (G in parallel with S)

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Ra is very low and this explains why an ammeter should be connected in series. When connected in series, the ammeter
does not appreciably change the resistance and current in the circuit. Hence an ideal ammeter is one which has zero resistance.

Conversion of galvanometer into a voltmeter

Voltmeter is an instrument used to measure potential difference between the two ends of a current carrying conductor.

A galvanometer can be converted into a voltmeter by connecting a high resistance in series with it. The scale is calibrated in
volt. The value of the resistance

connected in series decides the range of the voltmeter. Galvanometer resistance = G

The current required to produce full scale deflection in the galvanometer = Ig

Range of voltmeter = V

Resistance to be connected in series = R

Since R is connected in series with the galvanometer, the current through the galvanometer,

From the equation the resistance to be connected in series with the galvanometer is calculated.

The effective resistance of the voltmeter is

Rv = G + R

Rv is very large, and hence a voltmeter is connected in parallel in a circuit as it draws the least current from the circuit. In other

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words, the resistance of the voltmeter should be very large compared to the resistance across which the voltmeter is connected to
measure the potential difference. Otherwise, the voltmeter will draw a large current from the circuit and hence the current
through the remaining part of the circuit decreases. In such a case the potential difference measured by the voltmeter is very
much less than the actual potential difference. The error is eliminated only when the voltmeter has a high resistance. An ideal
voltmeter is one which has infinite resistance.

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