INTRODUCTION :

 A potentiometer is a three-terminal resistor with the

sliding or rotating contact that forms an adjustable voltage
divider. If only two terminals are used, one end and the
wiper it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat.
 Johann Christian Poggendorff introduced it around 1841
and became a standard laboratory measuring technique
for measuring voltage.
 The measuring instrument called a potentiometer it's
essentially a voltage divider used for measuring electric
potential (voltage); The component is an implementation
of the same principle, hence its name potentiometers are
commonly used to control electrical devices such as
volume controls on audio equipment.
 Potentiometers operated by a mechanism can be used as
position transducers, for example, in a joystick.
Potentiometers are rarely used to directly control
significant power, since the power is dissipated.
 The working of the potentiometer is free from the source
resistance because no current flows through the
potentiometer when it is balanced.
 The potentiometer is very accurate because its works on
the comparing method rather than the deflection pointer
method for determining the unknown voltages.
 USES OF POTENTIOMETER

 Potential meter was formerly used to control picture

brightness,contrast and color response. A potentiometer
was often used to adjust vertical hold which affected the
synchronization between the receiver’s internal sweep
circuit (sometimes a multi-vibrator) and the received
picture signal, along with other things such as audio-video
carrier offset during which frequency for push button sets
and so on .
 This can be used as position feedback devices in order to
create “closed loop”, such as in a servomechanism
 This method of motion used in the DC motor is the
simplest method of measuring the angle, speed and
displacement.
 Potentiometer are also very widely used as a part of
displacement transducers because of the simplicity of
construction and because they can give a large output
signal.
 low power potential meters, both linearly and rotary, are
used to control audio equipment, changing loudness,
frequency attenuation and other characteristics of audio
signals .
 In analogue computers , high precision potentiometer are
used to scale intermediate results by desired constant
factors or to set conditions for calculation .
 Rayleigh’s Potentiometer

Rayleigh’s potentiometer is similar to a normal

potentiometer.
Both use the same principle but in Rayleigh’s
potentiometer a heavy resistance box is used instead of a
long metallic wire.

Experiment:

Aim:
To compare the electromotive force of the two cells using
release potentiometer.

Apparatus Required:
Two volt accumulator of steady electromotive force , pull
resistance boxes having range 1 to 500o ohm , plug, key,
Daniel cell and Leclanche cell who's electromotive forces
are to be compared , a double pole , double throw switch
,sensitive galvanometer and high resistance .
Procedure:
 The two voltmeter voltmeters are connected in series
with 2 resistance boxes P and Q and plug key .
 The high potential terminal of fee is connected to one
of the common terminals off double throw key.
 Other common terminals of double throw key this
connected to a sensitive galvanometer, high resistance
and low potential terminal of P.
 The Lechlanche cell of emf(e1) is connected to one pair
of terminals and Daniel cell of emf (e2) to other pair of
terminals of the double throw key.
 Care should be taken to see that the positive poles of
the cell are connected in such a way as to oppose the
potential difference across P.
 A total of 10,000 Ω is introduced in the resistance
boxes and the primary circuit is closed with Lechlanche
cell of EMF(e1) introduced in the secondary circuit the
value of resistance B besides yesterday such that the
galvanometer indicates null deflection.
 Let P1 be the included in the resistance box P
E1=EP1/P+Q (i)
 Daniel cell of emf (e2) is included in the secondary
circuit and keeping P+Q=8000 Ω the resistance in B is
adjusted for full deflection and galvanometer.
E2=EP2/P+Q (ii)
Where P2 is the resistance introduced in P.
(i)/(ii)=E1/E2=P1/P2
 The experiment is reported keeping P+Q=6000 Ω and
the mean value E1/E2 is calculated.