Thread Bridge Experiment: Resistor Values & Resistivity
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ScribdTranslationsThread Bridge Experiment: Resistor Values & Resistivity
Translated by
ScribdTranslationsTHREAD BRIDGE
OBJECTIVE
1. Determine the value of several resistors using the bridge.
unknown.
2. Determine the resistivity of a conductive material (constantan).
MATERIAL
Resistance problem (marked as 1, 2, and 3), standard resistances,
digital multimeter, power supply, junction box, cables of
connection, strip with straight and homogeneous conductive wire of section
constant (for the thread bridge) and strip with 4 threads of 1 m in length, of
same material and different straight section, marked as Konstantan 1 (1 mm
of diameter), Constantan 0.5 (0.5 mm in diameter), Constantan 0.7 (0.7 mm in diameter)
diameter) and Konstantan 0.35 (0.35 mm in diameter) plus a second wire of
Constantan 0.7 and another wire marked as Brass 0.5 (thus, the terminal block has
6 threads in total.
THEORETICAL FOUNDATION
The thread bridge is a variation of the Wheatstone bridge, in which it has been
replaced two of the four resistors that are part of this with a wire
conductor of length (l=l1+l2), as shown in Fig.2. It can
vary the intensity of current flowing through each branch of the circuit
sliding the mobile cursor D. When the galvanometer does not detect current flow
current, it will be verified:
where R1 and R2 are the resistances of the wire segments of lengths l1 and l2 at
each side of the cursor, respectively (note in Fig. 2 that l1 is at the
the same side as Rp and that l2 is on the same side as Rx), Rx is the resistance
Problem, Rp the reference resistor, Ila the current intensity that flows through the
route CBA the one that circulates through the CDA route.
Dividing the previous equations, term by term, and isolating the
value of the resistance
problem,Rx, is obtained:
being (ρ) the resistivity of the bridge conductor wire and (S) the area of its
straight section, the equation [3] is transformed into:
This expression allows us to determine the value of any resistance, if
We know Rpy we measure l1 and l2.
On the other hand, it is possible to study the variation of the resistance of a wire.
conductor with its diameter if we have several conductive wires
of the same material and the same length but with different radii. The
the resistance of each thread would be given by:
being the diameter of the cross-section of the thread.
EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
Assemble the scheme indicated in Fig. 2 (see the photograph shown in the
Fig.1) with the multimeter (set to measure current intensity
continues) on the scale of 2 mA.
Determination of the value of various resistances problem
Once one of the problem resistances is fixed, choose any standard resistance.
Close the circuit and move the cursor until the multimeter does not
detect current flow and calculate an initial approximate value of the resistance
problem using Eq. [6]. Now choose as standard resistance for that
resistance problem that has a value closest to the calculated one and repeat
the measure: the value obtained for the problematic resistance with this resistance
the pattern is what we adopt as valid.
Using this procedure, obtain the value of the three resistances.
available problems (R1, R2, and R3).
Determination of the resistivity of constantan
Assemble the circuit in Fig. 2 using the constantan wires from the terminal block as
resistances problem (that is, replace in this circuit R for each one of
the wires of the strip). Use the 1 Ω standard resistor to calculate the
resistance of each of the 2 thickest wires of the strip (Konstantan 1
and Konstantan 0.7). Calculate the resistance of the 2 thinnest wires of the strip.
(Constantan 0.5 and Constantan 0.35) using a 10Ω standard resistor.
Graphically represent, expressing the values in the international system.
of units, the resistance of constantan wires as a function of the inverse
from the square of its diameter (this represents Eq. [7]). Adjust the data
by least squares to a line, and based on the result of the adjustment, obtain
the value of the resistivity of constantan with its corresponding error.
QUESTIONS
1.- Why is it advisable for the standard resistance to have a value similar to that of the
resistance problem?
2.- Look in the bibliography for the resistivity value of constantan and
compare it with the one obtained in the experiment (which means, among other things
and for example, discuss the causes of possible discrepancies between the value
measured and the real).