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EVERWIN PUBLIC SCHOOL

PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

MOVING COIL GALVANOMETER

Done By,
D. SANTHOSH
XII -
FANTASTIC
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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this “Physics Investigatory Project” on the topic “Moving
Coil Galvanometer” has been successfully completed by D. SANTHOSH of class
XII-FANTASTIC under the guidance of MRS.LIKITHA. L M.Sc., B.Ed. in particular
fulfilment of the curriculum of Central Board of Secondary Education [CBSE]
leading to the award of annual examination of the year 2023-24.

DATE:
PRINCIPAL

INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL

EXAMINER
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I have made efforts in this project. However, it would not have

beenpossible without the kind support and help of many individuals.

I would like to thank my principal, MRS.SHAHINISA.S.M, and school

forproviding me with facilities required to do my project.

I am highly indebted to my Physics teacher MRS.LIKITHA, for her

invaluableguidance which has sustained my efforts in all the stages of this
project work.

I would also thank my parents for their continuous support and

encouragement.

My thanks and appreciation also go to my fellow classmates and

thelaboratory assistant in developing the project and to the people who
have willingly helped me out with their abilities.
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Index

S.no. Title PAGE No.

1. Certificate 2

2. Acknowledgement 3

3. Index 4

4 Introduction 5

5 Principle and 6-7

Construction

6 Theory 8-9

7 Advantages and 10
Disadvantages

8 Sensitivity and Accuracy 11-13

9 Bibliography 14
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INTRODUCTION

A galvanometer is an electromechanical instrument for detecting and

indicating electric current. A galvanometer works as an actuator, by producing
a rotary deflection (of a "pointer"), in response to electric current flowing
through a coil in a constant magnetic field. Early galvanometers were not
calibrated, but their later developments were usedas measuring instruments,
called ammeters, to measure the current flowing through an electric circuit.

Galvanometers developed from the observation that the needle of a magnetic

compass is deflected near a wire that has electric current flowingthrough it, first
described by Hans Oersted in 1820. They were the first instruments used to
detect and measure small amounts of electric currents. André-Marie Ampère,
who gave mathematical expression to Oersted's discovery and named the
instrument after the Italian electricity researcher Luigi Galvani, who in 1791
discovered the principle of the frog galvanoscope – that electric current would
make the legs of a dead frog jerk.

Sensitive galvanometers have been essential for the development of

science and technology in many fields. For example, they enabled long
range communication through submarine cables, such as the earliest
Transatlantic telegraph cables, and were essential to discovering the
electrical activity of the heart and brain, by their fine measurements of
current.
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PRINCIPLE

When a current carrying coil is suspended in a uniform magnetic field it is

acted upon by a torque. Under the action of this torque, the coil rotates and
the deflection inthe coil in a moving coil galvanometer is directly
proportional to the current flowing through the coil.

CONSTRUCTION

The suspended type consists of a rectangular coil of thin insulated copper wires
having a large number of turns.

The coil is suspended between the poles of a powerful horseshoe magnet by a

suspension fiber of phosphor-bronze. A spring is attached to the other end of the
coil. The current enters the coil through the fiber and leaves the coil through the
spring.
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The upper end of the suspension fiber is connected to a rotating screw head sothat
the plane of the coil can be adjusted in any desired position.

The horseshoe magnet has cylindrically concave pole-pieces. Due to this shape,the
magnet produces radial magnetic field so that when coil rotates in any position its
plane is always parallel to the direction of magnetic field. When current flows
through the coil it gets deflected.

A soft iron cylinder is fixed inside the coil such that the coil can rotate freely
between the poles and around the cylinder. Due to the high permittivity, the soft
iron core increases the strength of the radial magnetic field.

A small plane mirror M is fixed to the suspension fiber. This along with lamp and
scale arrangement is used to measure the deflection of the coil.
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THEORY

Consider a rectangular coil PQRS of single turn having length ‘l’ and breadth ‘b’
suspended in a uniform magnetic field of induction B such that the plane of thecoil
is parallel to the magnetic field. Let ‘I’ be the current through the coil.

• The sides PS and QR being parallel to the magnetic field do not experienceany
force, but the sides PQ and RS being perpendicular to the magnetic
field experience force. The force experienced by each side is given by

F=BIl

• By Fleming’s left-hand rule these forces are opposite in direction. As thesetwo

forces are equal and opposite, they form what is called as a couple and due
to which a torque acts on the coil which tries to deflect the coil.
The deflection torque is given by,

Torque = Force x Perpendicular distance between the forces.

τ=Fxb

∴τ=BIl×b

But l τ b = A, the area of the coil

∴τ=BIA
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If the coil has ‘n’ turns, then the deflecting torque is given by

∴ τ = n BIA

• Under the action of this torque, the plane of the coil rotates through an angle
θ before coming to rest. Due to the radial magnetic field, the plane of the coil
is always parallel to the direction of magnetic field. Thus, at anyposition, the
deflecting torque has constant magnitude. The rotation of thecoil produces a
twist in the fiber which produces a restoring torque which is
directly proportional to the angle of deflection θ.

τ𝖺θ

∴τ=kθ

Where k is the torque per unit twist (or torsional constant) of the suspension fiber.

• When the coil comes to rest i.e., when it attains equilibrium, the restoring
torque will balance the deflecting torque. So, in equilibrium position of the
coil,

Deflecting torque = Restoring torque.n

BIA=kθ

The quantities in bracket are constant, therefore

∴I𝖺q

Thus, in a moving coil galvanometer current in the coil is directly proportional tothe
angle of deflection of the coil.
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USES OF GALVANOMETER:

Ammeter: Moving coil galvanometers are commonly employed as ammeters in electrical

circuits. By connecting a low-resistance shunt resistor in parallel with the galvanometer,
they can accurately measure relatively high electrical currents. The shunt resistor diverts
most of the current, allowing the galvanometer to indicate the current's magnitude through
the deflection of its coil.

Voltmeter: When used as a voltmeter, a moving coil galvanometer is connected in series

with a high resistance in the circuit. This creates a voltage divider, enabling the
galvanometer to measure the voltage drop across the element of interest. The scale and
sensitivity of the voltmeter can be adjusted by choosing an appropriate series resistor.
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Wheatstone Bridge: In the context of a Wheatstone bridge, a moving coil galvanometer is

connected in one of the bridge arms, while the other arms contain known resistances. By
adjusting the resistors' values, the bridge can be balanced, and the galvanometer will
indicate when this equilibrium is reached, allowing for precise resistance measurements.
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Magnetic Field Measurement: Moving coil galvanometers are essential tools for measuring
magnetic fields. When placed in a magnetic field, the coil experiences a torque due to the
magnetic force acting on it. The deflection of the coil is directly proportional to the strength
of the magnetic field, making it useful in both experimental and practical applications.

Oscilloscope: Moving coil galvanometers were historically used in early oscilloscopes. In an

oscilloscope, the galvanometer's coil is connected to the input signal, and the resulting
deflection is used to draw the waveform on the screen. This enables the visualization of
electrical waveforms, such as voltage or current variations, over time, making it a
fundamental tool in electronics and telecommunications.
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ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Advantages of Moving Coil Galvanometers:

• They are not affected by strong magnetic field.

• They have the high torque to weight ratio.

• They are very accurate and reliable.

• Their scales are uniform.

Disadvantages of Moving Coil Galvanometers:

• The change in temperature causes a change in restoring torque.

• Restoring torque cannot be easily changed.

• There is a possibility of damage to the phosphor bronze fiber or helicalrestoring

spring due to severe stresses.

• Such instruments can only be used for measurement of direct current quantities
and cannot be used for measurement of alternating current quantities.
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SENSITIVITY AND ACCURACY OF A GALVANOMETER

Sensitivity of Moving Coil Galvanometer:

• The sensitivity of moving coil galvanometer is defined as the ratio of the

change in deflection of the galvanometer to the change in the current.

• Sensitivity = dθ / di

• A galvanometer is said to be sensitive if it gives larger deflection for a small

current.

The current in moving coil galvanometer is given by

• Thus, the sensitivity of moving coil galvanometer can be increased by

o Increasing the number turns (n) of the coil,

o Increasing the area (A) of the coil,

o increasing the magnetic induction (B) and

o Decreasing the couple per unit twist (k) of the suspension fiber.
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LIMITATIONS TO INCREASE IN SENSITIVITY OF MOVING COILGALVANOMETER:

• If the turns of the coil are increased the length of wire and hence the resistance
of the coil increases.

• Increasing the area of the coil beyond limit makes the instrument bulky.

• Increase in the number of turns and area of the coil increases the load on
suspension fiber. Hence spring higher value of k should be used which decreases
the sensitivity of the galvanometer.

• Increasing the strength of magnetic induction leads to increase in the weight of

the apparatus.

• Decreasing the couple per unit twist of the spring leads to decrease in the
strength of the spring.

ACCURACY OF MOVING COIL GALVANOMETER:

• The relative error in the measurement of current is given by di/i

For moving coil galvanometer, the current through it is given by

• Thus, the error in the measurement of current depends only on the

measurement of the deflection in the galvanometer dθ.
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• For greater accuracy of the galvanometer, the ratio di / i should be small.It

is small when the deflection is large. Thus, for greater accuracy, the
deflection in the galvanometer should be large for small current in it.

• As the expression of accuracy does not contain the terms n, A, B and k the
accuracy is independent of the number of turns of the coil, the area of the
coil, the magnetic induction and constant for the spring.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

➢ www.google.com/images

➢ www.wikipedia.com

➢ www.hemantmore.org.in

➢ www.brainkart.com