College of Engineering - Spring 2023

Lab Report

Student ID Number: 202211093

Student Name: Ayman Alswaitti

Experiment Name: Rheastat

Experiment Number: No. 6

Experiment Date: 28/2/2023

1
Introduction
The goal of the experiment is to locate and become familiar with the rheostat. building a Wheatstone bridge
with a rheostat. locating an unknown resistor and verifying the Wheatstone bridge. determining the wire
resistor's resistivity. How to recognize a galvanometer.
Objectives

 In this experiment we aim to learn how to use Rheostat to build a voltage divider and Wheatstone
bridge.
 At the beginning we connected the circuit as it given in the book (Fig 6-2), and then we stared
measuring the voltages and resistance in different places using DMM to determine the unknown resistor.

Measurements:
4.1 Rheostat as Voltage Divider:

a) Measure the full-scale rheostat resistance 1131 Ω.

RDecade box RRheostat

1 100 Ω 180 Ω
2 200 Ω 325 Ω
3 300 Ω 530 Ω
4 400 Ω 670 Ω

Analysis and Discussion:

The figures increased since the Rheostat value increased as we increased the value of the decade box, and they
were quite similar to what I had anticipated given my prior experience with this experiment.

2
Answers to the Review Questions:

Questions:
Q1)

Q2) When the galvanometer pointer is at zero that means that there is no current passing through the
galvanometer.

Q3) Vtot=10V R2=3300Ω P2=14.04mW

V 2= √ P2 × R2= √ 136.17 ×10 × 470=6.806 V
−3

V 1=V tot −V 2=10−6.806=3.193 V

V 2 6.806
I 1 ¿ I 2 ¿ I tot = = =2.06 mA
R2 3300

V tot 10
Req = = =4848.12 Ω
I tot 2.06 ×10−3

Rneeded =R eq−R 2=4848.12−3300=1548.12 Ω

3
 The resistance value that will be
used in the Rheostat is 1600 Ω
VRhestat=3.19V
IRheostat=2.06mA
PRheostat=6.57x10-3W

Conclusions and Lessons Learned:

Ohm's Law (V=IR) is a formula used to determine how voltage, current, and resistance in an electrical circuit
are related to one another. The decade box uses its mechanical switches to assist in providing distinct
resistances. The location of the contact arm (movable hand wheel), which controls the rheostat, determines
whether or not resistance is increased or decreased. Galvanometers are electromechanical devices that operate
as both sensors and indicators of electric current.

Sources of Errors:
• Strange mistake (Reading the value for the voltage and current due to the fluctuation of values on the DMM).
• It's possible that we made some errors or difficulties when connecting the circuit on the bread-board.
• Incorrectly connect the DMM to the circuit.
• An inaccurate galvanometer reading.