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What Is A Moving Coil Galvanometer?: Electric Currents

A moving coil galvanometer measures electric current using a coil that rotates in a magnetic field when current passes through it. It is constructed with a rectangular coil suspended between poles of a magnet so it can pivot, and a scale measures the angle of deflection caused by the current. The strength of the magnetic field and number of coil turns determine the sensitivity, with a higher field or more turns resulting in greater deflection per unit of current.

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348 views5 pages

What Is A Moving Coil Galvanometer?: Electric Currents

A moving coil galvanometer measures electric current using a coil that rotates in a magnetic field when current passes through it. It is constructed with a rectangular coil suspended between poles of a magnet so it can pivot, and a scale measures the angle of deflection caused by the current. The strength of the magnetic field and number of coil turns determine the sensitivity, with a higher field or more turns resulting in greater deflection per unit of current.

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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A galvanometer is a device that is used to detect small electric current or measure its magnitude.

The current and its intensity is usually indicated by a magnetic needle’s movement or that of a
coil in a magnetic field that is an important part of a galvanometer.

What is a Moving Coil Galvanometer?


A moving coil galvanometer is an instrument which is used to measure electric currents. It is a
sensitive electromagnetic device which can measure low currents even of the order of a few
microamperes.
Moving-coil galvanometers are mainly divided into two types:

 Suspended coil galvanometer


 Pivoted-coil or Weston galvanometer

Moving Coil Galvanometer Principle


A current-carrying coil when placed in an external magnetic field experiences magnetic torque.
The angle through which the coil is deflected due to the effect of the magnetic torque is
proportional to the magnitude of current in the coil.

Moving Coil Galvanometer Construction And Diagram


The moving coil galvanometer is made up of a rectangular coil that has many turns and it is
usually made of thinly insulated or fine copper wire that is wounded on a metallic frame. The coil
is free to rotate about a fixed axis. A phosphor-bronze strip that is connected to a movable
torsion head is used to suspend the coil in a uniform radial magnetic field.
Essential properties of the material used for suspension of the coil are conductivity and a low
value of the torsional constant. A cylindrical soft iron core is symmetrically positioned inside the
coil to improve the strength of the magnetic field and to make the field radial. The lower part of
the coil is attached to a phosphor-bronze spring having a small number of turns. The other end of
the spring is connected to binding screws.
he spring is used to produce a counter torque which balances the magnetic torque and hence
helps in producing a steady angular deflection. A plane mirror which is attached to the
suspension wire, along with a lamp and scale arrangement, is used to measure the deflection of
the coil. Zero-point of the scale is at the centre.
Working of Moving Coil Galvanometer
Let a current I flow through the rectangular coil of n number of turns and a cross-sectional area
A. When this coil is placed in a uniform radial magnetic field B, the coil experiences a torque τ.
Let us first consider a single turn ABCD of the rectangular coil having a length l and
breadth b. This is suspended in a magnetic field of strength B such that the plane of the coil is
parallel to the magnetic field. Since the sides AB and DC are parallel to the direction of the
magnetic field, they do not experience any effective force due to the magnetic field. The sides AD
and BC being perpendicular to the direction of field experience an effective force F given by F =
BIl
Using Fleming’s left-hand rule we can determine that the forces on AD and BC are in opposite
direction to each other. When equal and opposite forces F called couple acts on the coil, it
produces a torque. This torque causes the coil to deflect.
We know that torque τ = force x perpendicular distance between the forces
τ = F × b
Substituting the value of F we already know,
Torque τ acting on single-loop ABCD of the coil = BIl × b
Where lx b is the area A of the coil,
Hence the torque acting on n turns of the coil is given by
τ = nIAB
The magnetic torque thus produced causes the coil to rotate, and the phosphor bronze strip
twists. In turn, the spring S attached to the coil produces a counter torque or restoring torque kθ
which results in a steady angular deflection.
Under equilibrium condition:
kθ = nIAB
Here k is called the torsional constant of the spring (restoring couple per unit twist). The
deflection or twist θ is measured as the value indicated on a scale by a pointer which is
connected to the suspension wire.
θ= ( nAB / k)I
Therefore θ ∝ I
The quantity nAB / k is a constant for a given galvanometer. Hence it is understood that the
deflection that occurs the galvanometer is directly proportional to the current that flows through it.
Solved question: What is the purpose of introducing a cylindrical soft iron core inside the
moving coil galvanometer?
Solution: The cylindrical soft iron core placed inside the galvanometer increases the magnetic
field strength, thereby improving the sensitivity of the instrument. It also makes the magnetic field
radial so that the angle between the plane of the coil and the magnetic lines of force remains
zero at all times during the rotation of the coil.

Sensitivity Of Moving Coil Galvanometer


The general definition of the sensitivity experienced by a moving coil galvanometer is given as
the ratio of change in deflection of the galvanometer to the change in current in the coil.
S = dθ/dI
The sensitivity of a galvanometer is higher if the instrument shows larger deflection for a small
value of current. Sensitivity is of two types, namely current sensitivity and voltage sensitivity.

 Current Sensitivity
The deflection θ per unit current I is known as current sensitivity θ/I
θ/I = nAB/k

 Voltage Sensitivity
The deflection θ per unit voltage is known as Voltage sensitivity θ/V. Dividing both sides by V in
the equation θ= (nAB / k)I;
θ/V= (nAB /V k)I = (nAB / k)(I/V) = (nAB /k)(1/R)
R stands for the effective resistance in the circuit.
It is worth noting that voltage sensitivity = Current sensitivity/ Resistance of the coil. Therefore,
under the condition that R remains constant; voltage sensitivity ∝ Current sensitivity.

Figure of Merit of a Galvanometer


It is the ratio of the full-scale deflection current and the number of graduations on the scale of the
instrument. It also the reciprocal of the current sensitivity of a galvanometer.

Factors Affecting Sensitivity Of A Galvanometer


a) Number of turns in the coil
b) Area of the coil
c) Magnetic field strength B
d) The magnitude of couple per unit twist k/nAB

Applications of Galvanometer
The moving coil galvanometer is a highly sensitive instrument due to which it can be used to
detect the presence of current in any given circuit. If a galvanometer is a connected in a
Wheatstone’s bridge circuit, the pointer in the galvanometer shows null deflection, i.e no current
flows through the device. The pointer deflects to the left or right depending on the direction of the
current.
The galvanometer can be used to measure:
a) the value of current in the circuit by connecting it in parallel to low resistance.
b) the voltage by connecting it in series with high resistance.

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