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Construction of Ballistic Galvanometer

The ballistic galvanometer is a sensitive device used to measure electric charge. It works by measuring the deflection of a coil suspended between magnet poles, which is directly proportional to the amount of charge passing through it. The coil is made of copper wire wound on a non-conducting frame. When a charge passes through, the coil receives an impulse based on the amount of charge. It has a high moment of inertia so its oscillations provide an accurate reading of the charge. The ballistic galvanometer is highly sensitive, has a linear scale, and is accurate for measuring short-duration currents due to its principle of operation. However, it can only be used for DC measurements and is prone to errors from aging components over

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2K views4 pages

Construction of Ballistic Galvanometer

The ballistic galvanometer is a sensitive device used to measure electric charge. It works by measuring the deflection of a coil suspended between magnet poles, which is directly proportional to the amount of charge passing through it. The coil is made of copper wire wound on a non-conducting frame. When a charge passes through, the coil receives an impulse based on the amount of charge. It has a high moment of inertia so its oscillations provide an accurate reading of the charge. The ballistic galvanometer is highly sensitive, has a linear scale, and is accurate for measuring short-duration currents due to its principle of operation. However, it can only be used for DC measurements and is prone to errors from aging components over

Uploaded by

Ms.Ezhilarasi ICE Department
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Definition: 

The galvanometer which is used for estimating the


quantity of charge flow through it is called the ballistic
galvanometer. The working principle of the ballistic galvanometer is
very simple. It depends on the deflection of the coil which is directly
proportional to the charge passes through it. The galvanometer
measures the majority of the charge passes through it in spite of current.

Construction of Ballistic Galvanometer


The ballistic galvanometer consists coil of copper wire which is wound
on the non-conducting frame of the galvanometer. The phosphorous
bronze suspends the coil between the north and south poles of a
magnet. For increasing the magnetic flux the iron core places within the
coil. The lower portion of the coil connects with the spring. This spring
provides the restoring torque to the coil.

When the charge passes through the galvanometer, their coil starts
moving and gets an impulse. The impulse of the coil is proportional to
the charges passes through it. The actual reading of the galvanometer
achieves by using the coil having a high moment of inertia. The moment
of inertia means the body oppose the angular movement. If the coil has
a high moment of inertia, then their oscillations are large. Thus, accurate
reading is obtained.

Theory of Ballistic Galvanometer

Consider the rectangular coil having N number of turns placed in a


uniform magnetic field. Let l be the length and b be the breadth of the

coil. The area of the coil is given as

When the current passes through the coil, the torque acts on it. The
given expression determines the magnitude of the

torque. 

et the current flow through the coil for very short duration says dt and it is

expressed as

If the current passing through the coil for t seconds, the expression

becomes

he q be the total charge passes through the coil. The moment of inertia
of the coil is given by l, and the angular velocity through ω. The
expression gives the angular momentum of the

coil 

The angular momentum of the coil is equal to the force acting on the coil.
Thus from equation (4) and (5), we get.
The Kinetic Energy (K) deflects the coil through an angle θ, and this

deflection is restored through the spring. 

The resorting torque of the coil is equal to their deflection. Thus,

 substituting the value of equation (6) in the equation (8) we get

The K is the constant of the ballistic galvanometer.

Advantages

The advantages of the ballistic galvanometer include the following.

1. Linear Scale. The scale of the galvanometer is linear.


2. It is highly sensitive.
3. It is accurate and precise
4. The toque to weight ratio is high. (This avoids errors)
5. It is not affected by stray magnetic fields

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of the ballistic galvanometer include the following.

1. Since it works on the principle of PMMC, it can be used only of DC


measurements.
2. Due to components such as springs, permanent magnets, etc. it develops
errors due to aging.

Applications

The applications of the ballistic galvanometer include the following.

1. Used in Wheatstone bridge, to detect the presence of current in the loop


2. Can be used to measure current by connecting a low resistance in parallel to
it.
3. Can be used to measure voltage by connecting a high resistance in series to
it.
4. Detecting errors in communication cables
5. Positioning the pen in analog strip chart recorders, electrocardiographic, etc.

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