It is an instrument used to detect weak currents in a circuit.
Principle: It is based on the principle that, whenever a loop carrying current is placed
in a magnetic field, it experiences a torque, which tends to rotate it.
Construction: It consists of a rectangular or circular coil made by winding a fine
insulated copper wire on an aluminium frame. A thin phosphor bronze strip from a
torsion head, which is connected to a terminal screw, suspends this coil. The lower
end of the coil is connected to a fine spring which is connected to another terminal
screw. The coil hangs in space between the pole pieces of a powerful horseshoe
magnet NS as shown in the figure below. The pole pieces are made concave
cylindrical.
This provides a radial magnetic field. Since the field is radial, therefore the plane of
the coil remains parallel to the magnetic field in all the orientations of the coil. In
between the pole pieces, within the coil, lies a soft iron cylindrical piece called ‘core’.
The core does not touch the coil anywhere. The whole arrangement is enclosed in a
non-magnetic box to protect it from air currents. Three levelling screws are provided
at the base.
This torque is counter balanced by a torque due to a spring fitted at the bottom
so that a fixed steady current I in the coil produces a steady angular deflection(Φ).
iii. The larger the current is, the larger is the deflection and the larger is the torque
due to the spring. If the deflection is Φ, the restoring torque due to the spring is
equal to KΦ where K is the torsional constant of the spring. Thus, KΦ= NIAB,
and the deflection Φ =
This means the deflection Φ is proportional to the current I, Φ ∝ I.
Measurement of Electric Current and Potential Difference
We often need to measure the parameters related to a circuit component like the
electric current passing through it and the potential difference across its two
ends. The instruments to measure these quantities are called an ammeter and
a voltmeter respectively. The basic instrument to measure electric current or
the voltage is the galvanometer.
Ammeter
A device which measures current in a circuit is called ammeter. Electric currents are
measured in amperes; hence it is called ammeter.
it is connected in series so that the entire current passes through it.
An ammeter is a low resistance device.
Conversion of galvanometer into an ammeter:
A galvanometer is a device used to detect the flow of current in an electrical circuit.
But galvanometer can be used for measurement of current in a circuit as a ammeter
Because of following reasons Galvanometer cannot be used as Ammeter
(i) Being a very sensitive instrument, a large current cannot be passed through the
galvanometer, as it may damage the coil.
(ii) Galvanometer have resistance in few kilo-ohm resistance which get added to
resistance of circuit as a result current in circuit changes. Moreover, if current larger
than current capacity of galvanometer (Ig) passing through thin copper wire of its
coil, large quantity of heat is produced according to I*R/ and hence it is likely to be
burnt.
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.
Formula for shunt:
Let Ig be the maximum current that can be passed through the galvanometer. The
current Ig will give full scale deflection in the galvanometer and called full scale
deflection current (Ig).
Galvanometer resistance = G. Shunt resistance = S Current in the circuit = I
Current through the shunt resistance Is = (I–Ig)
Since the galvanometer and shunt resistance are parallel, potential is common.
IgG = (I- Ig)S
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)
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
A voltmeter is an instrument used for measuring electric potential difference between
two points in an electric circuit.
It is connected in parallel in circuit.
It usually has a high resistance so that it takes negligible current from the
circuit
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.
1. High resistance (Rv) is very large, and hence a voltmeter is connected in
parallel in a circuit as it draws the least current from the circuit.
2. In other 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.
3. 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.
4. The error is eliminated only when the voltmeter has a high resistance. An
ideal voltmeter is one which has infinite resistance.
Formula f o r Series R e s i s t a n c e
Suppose a galvanometer having resistance G is to be converted into a voltmeter,
which can measure the potential difference from O to V volt. Let a high resistance R
be joined in series with the galvanometer Its value is so chosen that when the
galvanometer with the resistance is connected between two points having a potential
difference of V volt, the galvanometer gives full-scale deflection and current passing
through called full scale deflection current (Ig).
.
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 compared to the resistance across which the voltmeter is
connected.