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7. MEASUREMENT OF EMF OF A CELL BY POTENTIOMETER

“Voltmeter”
7.1 AIM
To measure the E.M.F. of a cell by potentiometer.

7.2 PRINCIPLE
A potentiometer is a high-precision electrical measuring instrument used for measuring potential difference.
It consists of a long uniform wire of high specific resistance material (typically manganin or constantan)
stretched along a meter scale. When a steady current flows through this wire, there is a uniform potential
drop along its length. (Potential Gradient is constant). This creates a linear voltage distribution along the
wire. So, the potential difference between any two points is proportional to the length of wire between them.
If a current of i passes, through a potentiometer of resistance Rp and if has a total length of wire as L cm,
then the drop of potential per centimeter (ఱ) of the wire is
𝑖×𝑅
ఱ=
𝐿
If a cell of EMF C2 (<C1) be balanced on a length l of the potentiometer wire, then E′ is given by
𝑖×𝑅 ×𝑙
𝐸 = ఱ×𝑙 =
𝐿

Fig 1. C1 is the applied voltage and C2 is the unknown. AB is the long wire. R1 is the resistor used to control the current.
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7.3 EQUIPMENTS REQUIRED

Table I gives the list of the items used in the experiment. First and foremost, make sure to identify all of
them. Also, understand their utility in the experiment by correlating to the principle of measurement given
in sec 2.2. Any experiment requires two categories of items, the first needs to set up the experiment itself
and the second to perform the measurements

Sl. Required Item Utility Category

No.
1. Potentiometer of Acts as the primary measuring Used for se ng up the
known resistance (Rp) instrument experiment
2. Battery Serves as the primary source of current
3. Test cell (E′) cell whose EMF is to be determined

4. Milliammeter (0- To Measures the current flowing

100mA) through the potentiometer wire
5. Resistance Box (R) To control the current in the circuit
6. High Resistance Box Used for coarse adjustment of balance
(Rb) point
7 Jockey (J) To Make a sliding contact with
potentiometer wire
8. Keys To make and break circuits as needed
9. Connecting wires To make electrical connections between
components
10. Wooden board with To Provide support for potentiometer
meter scale wire
11. Galvanometer To detect null-point Used for measurements
12 Voltmeter To measure the voltage

Fig 2. Schematic of the experimental setup. E is the applied voltage and E’ is the unknown. K is a key, A is the Ammeter, RB is resistance box,
ab is the long wire. Rh is the rheostat used to limit the current through a galvanometer, and J is the jockey. Here ab is represented as a resistor
and in the actual experiment, it looks like the rectangular box shown under the dashed arrow.
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Fig 3. Photograph of the experimental setup.

7.4 PROCEDURE
Next, identify all the measuring instruments needed. Make sure to understand their functioning and fill
table II before going ahead with the experiment.

Table I Details of the physical quantities to be measured.

S. Physical quantity Independent / Measured with Measuring instrument’s
No. Dependent Minimum Maximum Least
Count
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

1. Connections of the circuit are made. Care must be taken to see that similar polarities of the cells E1
and E2 are connected to the point A.

Initial check:
2. Ensure all connections in the circuit are secure and tight before proceeding. Verify that the resistance
box, ammeter, voltmeter, and wires are properly connected as per the circuit diagram provided.
3. Now, turn on the power supply and observe the current flowing in the circuit using the ammeter. Note
the initial current reading.
4. Gradually remove keys from the resistance box to increase the resistance in the circuit.
5. For each change in resistance, observe and record the corresponding current reading displayed on the
ammeter.
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Use the voltmeter to measure the voltage across the resistance box. Additionally, measure the voltage across
the two ends of the wire in the circuit.
6. Optionally, organize your observations in a table. Include columns for resistance, current, voltage across
the resistance box, and voltage across the wire.
7. You could optionally, plot a graph of current (I) versus resistance (R) to visualize the relationship. Also
plot the potential across the wire vs the current and estimate the resistance value of the wire RP.
8. Remember, as resistance increases, the current should decrease proportionally according to Ohm's Law.
 If the observed values of current and voltage do not align with the expected behavior, recheck the circuit
for loose connections, incorrect wiring, or faulty components.
 Rectify any issues and repeat the experiment.
9. With a fixed, known voltage and a fixed resistance selected from the resistance box, measure the
voltage across the wire at regular intervals along its length. Optionally, record your observations.
Do not forget to measure the value of the current. Using this data estimate the resistance value of
the wire RP
Measurement of unknownemf:
10. Making the value of Rb zero and inserting sufficient resistance from R, the jockey (J) is once touched
on the first wire and then on the last wire. The galvanometer deflections are observed. If the value
of E is greater than E, then the galvanometer deflections in these two cases must be opposite. If not
so, then there must have been some fault in the connections.
11. When opposite deflections are obtained on the galvanometer, then the value to R b has to be so
adjusted that the null point is obtained somewhere on the tenth wire, making R zero, accurate position
of this null point has to be obtained. The milliammeter reading is noted and the length of the null
point is ascertained from the wire number and the jockey position on the scale.
12. In this way, the values of Rb are set of other different values and for other values of the current(i)
through the milliammeter, null points are obtained at least for two values on the ninth and the eighth
wire. Each time the position of the null point is ascertained from scale readings.
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7.5 TABLES FOR RECORDING THE DATA

Total resistance of potentiometer (Rp) from step 8 = ____ ohm
Total resistance of potentiometer (Rp) from step 10 = ____ ohm
The total length of potentiometer (L) = ____ cm
Diameter of the wire = ________
Battery EMF (E) before experiment = ____ volt
Unknown EMF measured with multimeter = ____________

S. Rb Current Null point EMF

× ×

No. Wire No. Jockey Posi on Total Length

Units  mA cm V
1
2
3

In the result, first, write about the observation when the resistance from the resistance box was changed.
Then comment on the voltage along the wire. Mention the value of voltage/cm. Report the value of the
unknown EMF measured and compare its value with one measured with the multimeter.

DY QUESTIONS
1. Why is it recommended to obtain null points on different wires (tenth, ninth, eighth)? What does
this verify?
2. How does temperature variation affect the measurements? Which components are most sensitive
to temperature changes?
3. Compare the sensitivity of the potentiometer method with a standard voltmeter. Why is the
potentiometer method considered more accurate?
7.6 FURTHER SCOPE OF EXPERIMENT
1. Calibration of ammeter/voltmeter using potentiometer
2. Internal resistance measurement of cells
3. Temperature coefficient of EMF determination
7.9 PRECAUTIONS
1. Ensure proper polarity connection of E and E′
2. Battery EMF (E) must remain constant throughout the experiment and always be greater than E′
3. Maintain circuit sensitivity (galvanometer should deflect for 1cm shift from null point)
4. Use low resistance galvanometer
5. All connections must be tight and clean
6. Take readings without parallax error
7.10 SOURCES OF ERROR
1. Fluctuation in battery EMF
2. Contact resistance variations
3. Thermal EMF at junctions
4. Non-uniformity in potentiometer wire.
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11 THEORY

The Potentiometer
A potentiometer is an instrument used to measure the electromotive force (EMF) of a cell without drawing
any current from it. This makes it a preferred tool for accurate EMF measurements, as it eliminates errors
caused by internal resistance. The potentiometer operates by balancing an unknown potential difference
against a measurable and adjustable potential difference. Refer to Fig.2 for symbols used here.It consists of
a long, uniform resistance wire,ab, of resistance Rab ,connected to the terminals of a stable voltage source
of known EMF C1. A sliding contact c (or jockey) is connected in series through a galvanometer G to a
second source whose EMF C2 is to be measured. When the jockey is moved along the wire, the resistance
Rac between points a and c varies. It will be proportional to the length of the wire ac. To measure the EMF
of the test cell, it is connected in series with a galvanometer. The sliding contact is adjusted until the
galvanometer shows no deflection, indicating a balanced condition. At this point, the potential difference
across the portion of the wire between the fixed end(a) and the contact(c) matches the EMF of the test cell.
The length of the wire corresponding to the balanced point, combined with the known properties of the wire
and the circuit's parameters, allows the EMF to be calculated. The potentiometer is highly reliable for
comparing EMFs and calibrating other instruments.

V2 = IRac

The applied voltage must be greater than the unknown voltage. Typically, the length of the wire is 1000 cm
and hence the voltage/cm is of the order of mV/cm.It means this can distinguish two emfs which differ by
mVs.

7.12 FURTHER READING MATERIALS

Textbooks
"Advanced Practical Physics" by Worsnop and Flint
"Practical Physics" by C.L. Arora
Online Resources
NPTEL Physics Virtual Labs
MIT OpenCourseWare - Physics Lab Demonstrations