Certificate
This is hereby to certify that original and genuine investigation work
has been carried out about the subject matter and the related data
collection
and investigation has been solely and sincerely done by
______________, a student of class 12 Science under the
Examination Roll no. ___________ for academic year 2025-2026.
Regarding the investigatory project entitled "Wheatstone bridge”
under supervision of Mrs. Snehal Bari as per requirement for Board
Examination.
Date of submission: -
Principal External Examiner Internal Examiner
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School Stamp
Acknowledgement
I would like to sincerely express my gratitude to my principal
Mrs. Thresiamma Pappachan and my physics teacher Mrs Snehal
Snehal Bari, who gave me the golden opportunity to this project
and providing support as well as guidance. Secondly, I am deeply
indebted to my parents and friends without whose support and
feedback, this project would not have taken [Link] valuable
advice and suggestion help me to complete the project within the
given time.
Introduction and history of
Wheatstone Bridge
The wheatstone bridge is a fundamental electrical circuit used to
measure an unknown electrical resistance by balancing the
circuit. It was invented by Samuel Hunter Christie
in 1833, but interestingly, it got its name from the
person who popularised its use--- Sir Charles
Wheatstone in 1843. He published his
experiments on its usefulness and refined the
system to a abetter extent. The basic concept
behind this system is simple yet powerful; it
Samuel Hunter Christie compares two voltage dividers to determine an
unknown resistance.
Originally, the bridge was used primarily in laboratory settings to
calibrate measuring instruments and standard resistors.
Over time it found applications in various
industries and educational institutions due to
its precision. Today, the Wheatstone Bridge is
also foundational in gauge instruments, where
small changes in resistance are used to detect
strain in materials.
Sir Charles Wheatstone
COMPONENTS OF A WHEATSTONE BRDGE
1. A resistor with an unknown resistance
And two resistors with known resistance
2.A rheostat for variable resistance
3. A voltage or a DC source to provide potential difference
4. A galvanometer to measure the current and find the null
point.
[Link] wires to complete the circuit
CirCuit
ConstruCtion
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM OF WHEATSTONE BRIDGE
It is a bridge – type structure having four resistances, three known and one unknown.
1. Let the unknown resistance be Rx. It is the value to be
measured.
2. Connect them in a square like fashion.
3. Let the two opposite vertices be connected to the DC source
and the remaining two with a galvanometer to complete the
circuit.
4. Let the galvanometer be represented by G.
According to the principle of wheatstone bridge if the ratio of the two
resistances(R1/R2) on one edge is equal to the ratio of the two
resistances(R3/Rx) on another edge then there will be no flow of
current between the midpoints of the two edges of resistance. This
condition of the bridge is known as the balanced bridge condition.
In the balanced bridge condition, the current through the
galvanometer is zero and also the voltage difference between the
points B and D becomes zero, i.e., at both points voltage level would
be the same. This is called null point.
Writing equations for the balance bridge condition would look like:
𝑅1 𝑅3
= OR R1×Rx = R3 × R2
𝑅2 𝑅𝑥
𝑅2
Thus, Rx = R3×( )
𝑅1
o This detection of zero current in galvanometer is of utmost
importance as it gives us an accurate value for the unknown
resistance without worrying about internal currents affecting
the measurement as there is NO CURRENT.
o Also, even a slight deflection can easily be detected making this
method highly accurate and sensitive.
o In the Wheatstone bridge experiment, one resistor should
always be variable in order to obtain a balanced condition. The
circuit performs at its best when the regulated voltage source
is used, instead of the current with repelling characteristics.
EXAMPLE CIRCUIT
Let us consider the below circuit where the bridge is in an unbalanced
condition and we need to
APPLICATION OF WHEATSTONE BRIDGE
Measurement of Resistance: The main application of
the Wheatstone is in the accurate measurement of the
resistance of an unknown resistor.
Calibration of Instruments: The Wheatstone Bridge is
also used to calibrate devices such as ammeters,
voltmeters, and ohmmeters.
Temperature Sensing (Thermistors): The Wheatstone
can also be used to measure small changes in
temperature. A thermistor resistor whose resistance
varies with temperature is added as one of the resistors,
and the change in resistance can be measured as a
change in voltage or current.
Wheatstone Bridge Capacitor: Although it has been
used traditionally for measuring resistances, the
Wheatstone Bridge can easily be modified to measure
capacitance in some circuits.
LIMITATION OF WHEATSTONE BRIDGE
It may not be the ideal solution to calculate small
resistances. This is because the resistance of
contacts and leads becomes significant and
introduces errors in the calculations. Hence, this
bridge is modified to Kelvin’s bridge for calculating
small resistances.
It may not be able to find the values of high
resistances. This is because the measurements of
the unknown resistance become so large that the
galvanometer can’t show sensitivity to the
deflections. Hence, modifications to this bridge
are made to ensure the galvanometer remains
sensitive to the highest values of resistances.
It may not be possible to accommodate the
heating effects of the current. It changes the value
of resistance that can’t be calculated with
this bridge. It is often observed that excessive
winds can cause permanent changes in the
resistance values.
The Wheatstone bridge is a delicate device. In an
off-balance situation, measurements may not
even be accurate.
Wheatstone bridges are commonly used to
measure the resistance of a few ohms to those few
kilo-ohm
CONCLUSION
Thus, Wheatstone Bridge is a device used to
measure the unknown resistance of a resistor when
the other resistance is known. The device has four
arms as four resistors and the current is balanced as
a ratio of lengths and resistances
BIBLIOGRAPHY