INDEX:

 Meter Bridge Principle

 Meter Bridge Components
 Meter Bridge Setup
Meter Bridge Principle:
The meter bridge principle is based on the Wheatstone Bridge
circuit which says that if at any point or length (of a wire), the
ratio of two resistances (say R1 and R2) is equal to the ratio of
another two resistances (say R3 and R4 where R4 is the
unknown resistance), then there shall be no flow of current at
that point between those points and the edges containing the
resistances (R1/R2 and R3/R4). Therefore, applying it to the
Meter Bridge, at any such point, the galvanometer will show
zero deflection.

Meter Bridge Diagram

The apparatus can be visually represented by the meter bridge
diagram given below:

Meter Bridge Experiment Diagram:

The constant wire extends from point A to point C, where

point B is where the knife-end of the jockey is pointed. The
jockey wire is connected to the galvanometer (G), which is
connected to the central terminal of the meter bridge (point D).
The ‘R’ is the resistance box which can vary (and is hence the
variable resistance) while ‘S’ is the unknown resistance. You
can see that point A of the meter bridge is connected to the
positive terminal of a battery (usually a Leclanche Cell) and the
other point of the battery (the negative terminal) is connected
to a Key which in turn is connected to point C of the meter
bridge.

Meter Bridge Components

A meter bridge consists of the following components:

1. Meter bridge
2. Jockey
3. Key
4. Leclanche Cell
5. Connecting Wires
6. Galvanometer
7. Resistance Box
8. Unknown Resistance Wire

Meter Bridge Setup

If you missed your meter bridge experiment practical, you
could refer to the steps mentioned here to understand how to
set up the apparatus and perform the experiment. Ensure that
you have the required materials to set up the experiment
apparatus. Once you do, follow the steps below:

Connect one end of the connecting wire to point A of the meter

bridge and the other to the Leclanche cell’s positive terminal.
Take another connecting wire and connect it to one end of the
Key and the other to the negative terminal of the Leclanche cell.
Take a third connecting wire and connect it to point C of the
meter bridge and the other end of the Key.
Connect the variable resistance (R) to both ends of the meter
bridge in Gap-1. Do the same with the unknown resistance wire
(or coil) in Gap-2.
Connect the central terminal of the meter bridge (D) with the
positive terminal of the galvanometer (G). Connect the
negative terminal of the galvanometer (G) with the jockey (B).
Your meter bridge is all set. Let us proceed with the experiment.

Meter Bridge Experiment

The meter bridge experiment includes the following steps; do
them once your meter bridge experiment setup is all checked
and ready (double-check the positive and negative terminals).

Touchpoint A and point C of the meter bridge with the jockey B

and ensure that the galvanometer G shows deflections on
opposite sides.
Touch a point of the constantan wire (do not slide it) and
introduce a resistance from variable resistance R such that the
galvanometer shows zero deflection at that point (make a note
of the resistance value; you will need it later). You can take
note of the point length because you have a measuring scale in
front of the meter-long wire. Note down this measurement
from point A. This point is known as the ‘balancing point’ or ‘l1’.
Change the positions of the unknown resistance ‘S’ and
resistance box ‘R’ so that Gap-1 has the unknown resistance
now and Gap-2 has the resistance box. Remove the Key before
you do this and put it back once the positions have been
changed.
Measure the distance of terminal point C of the meter bridge
from the balancing point (where the galvanometer showed
zero deflection). This length is ‘l2’.Compute the average length
‘l’ of l1 and l2 using the formula: (l1 + l2)/2.
Use the formula to compute the value of unknown resistance S:
S = [l / (100 – l)] *R
Repeat the whole experiment for a few more values of R. This
means steps 2 – 6 must be repeated for 5 more readings. Note
down the values of R for each case as well as the average
length ‘l’ that you found.
Compute the mean value of unknown resistance with the 5 – 6
readings you have just taken.
Use a screw gauge to measure the radius ‘r’ of the unknown
resistance wire (you can remove the wire from the meter
bridge once the 6 readings in total have been completed).
Apply the formula below to compute the specific resistance ρ
of the wire is computed by: ρ = (π*r*r*S)/l
Here, S is the unknown resistance (the mean value you have
computed), l is the length of the wire (also the mean value you
have computed), and r is the radius of the wire which was
measured by the screw gauge.

Thus, we have computed the specific resistance of the

unknown resistance wire.

Summarized Notes
Meter Bridge works on the principle of Wheatstone Bridge. The
former is an actual physical lab apparatus while the latter is an
electrical circuit.
Your meter bridge experiment readings for both the resistance
of the unknown wire (S) and length of the wire (l) are
computed as the mean values.
The meter bridge is also referred to as the slide wire bridge.
While performing the meter bridge experiment, do NOT slide
the jockey continually along the wire. Just lift the jockey and
TOUCH (not press) the constantan wire at specific points until
you find the point of zero deflection. If you apply pressure
(unintentionally even), the cross-sectional area of the wire will
change, and the experiment will be affected for the next
student.
When connecting the wire with the unknown resistance, do
NOT try to wrap it around the terminals but just make sure it
touches it on both ends.
You can also call the ‘balancing point’ as the ‘null point’
because the galvanometer shows zero deflection at that point.
The Meter Bridge works on the principle of the Wheatstone
Bridge; the Wheatstone Bridge principle is based on the
Balanced Bridge Condition.