Resistance Bridge Circuits

EE101L/B7
Group 4

Objectives
1. To demonstrate the operating principles of Wheatstone bridge circuits
2. To illustrate the different conditions arising from the resistance bridge
circuits and its practical applications

Figure



Table 3.1 Balanced Condition



Table 3.2 Unbalanced Condition




Table 3.3 Balancing the Bridge




Table 3.4 Measuring the Unknown Resistance





ANALYSIS

Experiment 3 is about Resistance Bridge Circuit. Wheatstone bridge is a
diamond shaped interconnection of resistances that is designed for precise
measurement of an unknown resistance. Inserted within the bridge circuit
are 2 unknown resistances and a variable potentiometer.
With the aid of a zero centered meter, the process relies on
adjusting the resistance of the potentiometer until the zero centered meters
reads 0. When the zero centered reads 0 the bridge is said to be at a
balance condition. Since no current flows through the zero centered meter
thus the circuit can be redrawn eliminating the connection of the meter.
The data results gathered in the first experiment is quite hard to conduct
since it is where we will demonstrate the operating principles of
Wheatstone bridge circuits. We had to assemble a circuit given from the
procedure of the experiment which where we did the circuit connections to
analyze the Wheatstone bridge. It is used to measure an unknown
electrical resistance by balancing two legs of a bridge circuit, one leg of
which includes the unknown component.

CONCLUSION
A circuit that has a diamond shaped interconnection of resistances that
illustrates the concept of a difference measurement is called Wheatstone
bridge. On the third experiment in Electrical Circuits Laboratory 1, we have
to analyze the principles of Wheatstone bridge with its basic use. It has
three different objectives to overcome which was conducted during the
experiment.
First, we are able to demonstrate the operating principles of a bridge circuit
by measuring and verifying the calculations of the resistance, voltage and
current. We assembled the given circuit to measure resistance, voltage and
current where we are able to identify the different characteristics of the
bridge circuit connection. Second, we are able to illustrate the different
conditions and practical application arising from the resistance bridge
circuit. The process regarding the bridge circuit is by adjusting the
resistance of the potentiometer until the zero centered meter comes to 0
reading.
When the voltage between point 1 and the negative side of the battery is
the same as the voltage between point 2 and the negative side of the
battery, the null detector will indicate zero and the bridge is said to be
balanced. The state of balance of the bridge is solely dependent on the
ratios of R
a
/R
b
& R
1
/R
2
and is quite independent of the supply voltage. In
measuring the resistance with a Wheatstone bridge, an unknown
resistance is connected in the place of R
a
or R
b
while the other three
resistors are precision devices of known value. Any of the 3 resistors can
be placed or adjusted until the bridge is balanced. The unknown resistor
value can be determined from the ratios of the known resistances once the
bridge is balanced. An ammeter is connected between the output terminals
and used to observe the flow of current from one voltage divider to the
other. If the two voltage dividers have exactly same ratio, then the bridge is
said to be balanced and no flow of current in either direction through the
ammeter. If one of the resistors changes, it could make the bridge
unbalanced.