You are given a galvanometer with a full-scale deflection of 40 divisions for a current of 1.5 mA. The shunt resistor used in conjunction with the galvanometer has a known resistance of 8.0 Ω. Using the half deflection method, determine the resistance and figure of merit (sensitivity) of the galvanometer.
0.007 A/Div
170 A/Div
200 A/Div
20 A/Div
Given data:
Ifsd = 1.5 mA
N = 40 divisions
Rsh = 8.0 Ω
Step 1: Calculate the half-scale deflection current (Ihsd):
Using the relation between currents and deflections:
Substituting the given values:
Solving for Ihsd:
Step 2: Calculate the resistance (R) of the galvanometer: Using Ohm’s law:
The total current passing through the circuit is the sum of the galvanometer current and the shunt current:
Itotal = Igalvanometer + Ishunt
Since the shunt resistor is chosen such that most of the current flows through it, Itotal can be approximated as Ishunt:
Solving for R:
Substituting the values:
Solving this quadratic equation for R gives two possible solutions. We choose the physically meaningful one:
R ≈ 12.42 Ω
Step 3: Calculate the figure of merit (M):
The figure of merit (sensitivity) is given by the formula:
Substituting the values:
Simplifying:
M ≈ 0.007 A/Div
The resistance of the galvanometer is approximately 12.42 Ω, and the figure of merit (sensitivity) is approximately 0.007 A/Div.
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