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Resistivity of the Material of a Wire/Physics Practical

METER BRIDGE – INTRODUCTION

The physics experiment ‘Resistivity of the  material of the wire’ is an important experiment for class 12 students, particularly CBSE students.The resistivity values of various wires are used in everyday applications like electrical wiring, heating elements, resistors, semiconductors, and material categorization, among others.This experiment exposes class 12 students to the resistivity values of various wires as well as the analysis of their results.

As part of this, the students measure the resistance of the wire, the screw gauge’s zero error, the radius of the wire, and the resistivity values using either Ohm’s law or the meter bridge method, using the proper formula.This practical ensures that the idea of resistivity is understood,its unit, as well as the values for various materials.Let us talk about this issue.

  • The meter bridge is an electrical device used to measure the resistance of an unknown resistor.
  • It works on the principle of the Wheatstone bridge, which is a circuit with four resistors connected in a specific way. When the bridge is balanced, there is no current flow through the galvanometer.
  • To use the meter bridge, first connect the resistors according to the circuit diagram.Then, select a known resistor from the resistance box and place it in the left hand arm of the bridge.
  • Once the circuit connections are completed,the jockey is pressed near the end  A and then near end B of the meter bridge wire. If the deflections in the galvanometer are on one side , then there is some fault in the circuit connections.Check for double side deflections in the galvanometer.
  • Move the jockey along the meter bridge wire until the galvanometer needle points to zero. 
  • The point at which the jockey is located is called the balance point.
  • The unknown resistance is calculated using the meter bridge resistance formula
<img src="Resistivity of the material of a wire experiment.jpg" alt="Diagram of screw gauge showing  the method to find the radius of the given wire ">
<img src="Resistivity of the material of a wire experiment.jpg" alt="Diagram of the screw gauge showing the method to find zero error in a screw gauge">
<img src="Resistivity of the material of a ire experiment.jpg" alt="Diagram of the screw gauge's  circular and main scales to find the positive error in a screw gauge">
<img src="Resistivity of the material of a wire experiment.jpg" alt="Diagram of the screw gauge's main and circular scales to find the negative error in a screw gauge">
<img src="Resistivity of the material of a wire experiment.jpg" alt="Diagram of the screw gauge showing the expression to determine the pitch of a screw gauge">
<img src="Resistivity of the material of a wire experiment.jpg" alt="Diagram of the screw gauge showing the expression to find the least count of a screw gauge">
<img src="Resistivity of the material of a wire experiment.jpg" alt="Diagram of the wire and also  the method to find the radius and diameter of the given wire">
<img src="Resistivity of the material of a wire experiment.jpg" alt="Image showing expression for the resistance of the material of a wire and its dependence with length , area of cross section">
<img src="Resistivity of the material of a wire experiment.jpg" alt="Image showing the expression for the resistivity  oa conductor">
  1. The resistance of the given wire is to be calculated using the meter bridge.
  2. The principle of the meter bridge is  based on the Wheatstone bridge balancing condition.
  3. Using screw gauge, the radius of the given wire is to be determined.
  4. The given wire is stretched and  with the help of a meter scale, the length of the wire is to be measured.
  5. By applying these values we can calculate the resistivity of the given wire.

1.The resistance of the given wire using using meter bridge(X) = 2.919 Ohms

2. The resistivity of the material of the given wire = 6.739 X 10-7 Ohm meter

 The above-mentioned practical ‘Resistivity of the material of the wire’ is an important part of the class 12 physics practical curriculum.Students acquire hands-on experience measuring resistivity and learning how it changes for different materials, as well as the solution for material categorization and practical applications and also valuable knowledge for those pursuing careers in engineering or physics.

By participating in this sort of laboratory practical, students hone their analytical and problem-solving abilities, which are crucial in the scientific area.Overall, it is a fun and educational approach to expose kids to the realm of physics and its practical applications.Did you ever spend the majority of your time in your physics lab?


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