SHRI RAJENDRA SINGH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Physics Project
Session-(2023-2024)

InvestIgatory project report on

“moving coil galvanometer”

Submitted By Submitted To
Deepanshu upadhyay
Bhavna Agrawal Mr. Aman Agrawal
th
Class 12 (PGT Physics)
Roll No-
 TABLE OF CONTENT

 Certificate
 Declaration
 Acknowledgement
 Introduction
 Principle and construction
 Theory
 Advantage and Disadvantages
 Sensitivity and Accuracy
 Conclusion
 Bibliography
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Project entitled Moving coil galvanometer submitted by
Deepanshu
Bhavnaupadhyay
Agrawal is to fulfill the requirements of the CBSE class XII Physics
Examination 2023-2024.It is an authentic work carried out by her under my
supervision and guidance.
She has taken proper care and shown utmost sincerity in the completion of the
project .
To the best of my knowledge ,the matter embodied in the project is a bonafide
work and has not been copied from anywhere else.

____________________ _________________
Mr.Aman Agrawal Dr. IB Dubey
(Internal Examiner) (Principal)

______________________
(External Examiner)
 DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the project work entitled
Moving coil galvanometer
Submitted to Department of physics,
Shri Rajendra Singh International School is prepared by
me .

Bhavna Agrawal
Deepanshu upadhyay

Class- 12th (Science)

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express a deep sense of thank and
gratitude my project guide Mr.Aman Agrawal for guiding
me immensely through the course of the project. He
always envinced keen interest in my project. His
constructive advice & constant motivation have been
responsible for the successful completion of his project.
My sincere thank goes to our principal sir for his co-
ordination in extending every possible support for the
completion of his project
I must thanks to my classmates for their timely help and
support for completion of his project.
Last but not Least, I would like to thank all those who
had helped directly or indirectly towards the
completion of this project.

Bhavna Agrawal
Deepanshu upadhyay

th
Class–XII (Science)
 INTRODUCTION
A galvanometer is an electromechanical instrument for detecting and indicating
electric current. A galvanometer works as an actuator, by producing a rotary
deflection (of a "pointer"), in response to electric current flowing through a coil
in a constant magnetic field. Early galvanometers were not calibrated, but their
later developments were used as measuring instruments, called ammeters, to
measure the current flowing Through an electric circuit.
Galvanometers developed from the observation that the needle of a
magneticcompass is deflected near a wire that has electric current flowing
through it, first described by Hans Oerstedin1820.Theywere the first instruments
used to detect and measure small amounts of electric currents. André-Marie
Ampere,who gave mathematical expression to Orsted's discovery and named
theinstrument after the Italian electricity researcher Luigi Galvani, who in
1791discovered the principle of the frog galvanoscope- that electric current
wouldmakethelegsofadeadfrogjerk.
Sensitive galvanometers have been essential for the development of scienceand
technology in many fields. For example, they enabled long rangecommunication
through submarine cables, such as the earliest Transatlant ictele graph cables,
and were essential to discovering the electrical activity of the heart and brain, by
their fine measurements of current.
 PRINCIPLE
When a current carrying coil is suspended in a uniformmagnetic field
it is acted upon by a torque. Under the action of this torque, the coil
rotates and the deflection in the coil in a moving coil galvanometer is
directly proportional to thecurrentflowingthroughthe coil.

CONSTRUCTION
The suspended type consists of a rectangular coil of thin insulated
copper wires having a large number of turns. The coil is suspended
between the poles of a powerful horse shoe magnet by a suspension
fibre of phosphor-bronze. A spring is attached to the other end of the
coil. The current enters the coil through the fibre and leaves the coil
through the spring.
The upper end of the suspension fiber is connected to a rotating screw
head so that the plane of the coil can be adjusted in any desired
position.
The horse shoe magnet has cylindrically concave pole-pieces. Due to
this shape ,the magnet produces radial magnetic field so that when
coil rotates in any position its plane is always parallel to the direction
of magneticfield. When current flows through the coil it gets
deflected.
A soft iron cylinder is fixed inside the coil such that the coil can rotate
freely between the poles and around the cylinder. Due to the high
permittivity, the soft iron core increases the strength of the radial
magnetic field.
A small plane mirror M is fixed to the suspension fibre. This along with
lamp and scale arrangement is used to measure the deflection of the
coil.
 THEORY
Consider a rectangular coil PQRS of single turn having length ‘l’ and breadth ’b’
suspended in a uniform magnetic field of induction B such that the plane of the
coil is parallel to the magnetic field. Let ‘l’ be the current through the coil.

 The sides PS and QR being parallel to the magnetic field do not experience
any force , but the sides PO And RS being perpendicular to the magnetic
field experience force. The force experienced by each side is given by
F=B ll
 By Flemings left hand rule these forces are opposite in direction. As these
two forces are equal and opposite they form what is called as a couple and
due to which a torque acts on the coil which tries to deflect the coil .the
deflection torque is given by,
Torque=Force*Perpendicular distance between the forces
T=F*b
∴T=Bll*B
But lTb= A, the area of the coil
∴T=BlA
If the coil has ‘n’ turns, then the deflecting torque
is given by
∴τ=nBIA
 Under the action of this torque, the plane of the coil rotates through an
angle θ before coming to rest. Due to the radial magnetic field, the plane
of the coil is always parallel to the direction of magnetic field. Thus at any
position, the deflecting torque has constant magnitude. The rotation ofthe
coil produces a twist in the fibre which produces a restoring torque which
is directly proportional to the angle of deflection θ.
Τ∝θ
∴τ=kθ
Where k is the torque per unit twist
(or torsional constant) of the
Suspension fiber.
 When the coil comes to rest i.e. when it attainsequilibrium, the
restoring torque will balance the deflecting torque. So in
equilibrium position of the coil,
Deflecting torque= restoring torque nB
IA=k θ
l=(k/Nba)θ
The quantities in bracket are constant, therefore l∝ q
Thus in a moving coil galvanometer current in the coil is
Directly proportional to the angle of deflection of the coil.
 ADVANTAGESANDDISADVANTAGES
AdvantagesofMovingCoilGalvanometers-
 They are not affected by strong magnetic field.

 They have the high torque to weight ratio.

 They are very accurate and reliable.

 Their scales are uniform.

DisadvantagesofMovingCoilGalvanometers-
 The change in temperature causes a change in
Restoring torque.
 Restoring torque cannot be easily changed.
 There is a possibility of damage to the phosphor bronze fiber or
helical restoring spring due to severe stresses.
 Such instruments can only be used for measurementof direct current
quantities and cannot be used formeasurementof alternating
currentquantities.
 SENSITIVITY AND ACCURACY OF AGALVANOMETER
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/dl
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 0 per unit current I is known as current sensitivity θ/1
θ/1= nAB/k
.Voltage Sensitivity
The deflection 0 per unit voltage Is known as Voltage sensitivity 8N.
Dividing both sides by V in the equation θ=(nAB/k)I
θN=(nABNk)I=(nAB/k)(IN)=(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.
 LIMITATIONS TO INCREASE
INSENSITIVITYOFMOVINGCOILGALVANOME
TER:
 If the turns of the coil are increased the length of wire and hence the
resistance of the coil increases.
 Increasing the area of the coil beyond limit makes the instrument
bulky.
 Increase in the number of turns and area of the coil increases the load on
suspension fiber .
 Increases the strength of magnetic induction leads to increase in the weight
of the apparatus.
 Decreasing the couple per unit twist of the spring leads to decrease in
the strength of the spring.
ACCURACY OF MOVING COILGALVANOMETER:
 The relative error in the measurement of current is given by di /I.
 For moving coil galvanometer ,the current through it is given by
L=(k/Nba)θ
(1) Differntiating both sides
Dl=(k/Nba)dθ
(2)Dividing equation(2)by(1)
Dl/l=dθ/ θ
 Thus the error in the measurement of current depends only on
the measurement of the deflection in the galvanometer dθ.
 For greater accuracy of the galvanometer, the ratio di /i should
be small. It is small when the deflection is large. Thus for greater
accuracy,the deflection in the galvanometer should be large for
small current in it.
 As the expression of accuracy does not containthe terms n, A, B and
k the accuracy is independent of the number of turns of the coil,
the area of the coil, the magnetic induction and constant for the
spring.