Physics VIVA

Class XII

Q1. Give the principal behind moving coil galvanometer.

A1.When a current carrying coil is placed in ext magnetic field it experiences
torque ζ= m x B where m is magnetic moment = NiA
=m B sinθ B is magnetic field

The torque tends to align m ॥ B

Q2. Why is the field radial?
A2.(i) For radial field m is always ⊥ to B
hence sinθ =1 so torque is maximum

(ii)To make the scale linear. ie θαi

Q3. Can a galvanometer measure alternating current?
A3. No.
Q4.What is meant by current sensitivity of galvanometer?
A4. is = θ/ i
Q5. A voltmeter,ammeter is nothing but a modified galvanometer.Explain
A5. A high resistance is connected in series Inside a galvanometer —voltmeter.
A low resistance is connected in parallel Inside a galvanometer ---ammeter
Q6. What is the principle behind Potentiometer?
VαL for constant current in the wire.
V/L = potential gradient is constant

Q7. What is the nature of wire stretched on potentiometer?

A7. It is constanan. It has high resistivity. It is an alloy.
It has low tempr co efficient(α ). of resistivity

Resistance and Resistivity

The resistivity of a material is found to be dependent on the

temperature.
Different materials do not exhibit the same dependence on tempr.
Over a limited range of temperatures, that is not too large, the
resistivity of a metallic conductor is approximately given by,
ρT = ρ0 [1 + α (T–T0)]
Some materials like Nichrome (which is an alloy of nickel, iron and
chromium) exhibit a very weak dependence of resistivity with temperature
(Fig. 3.10). Manganin and constantan have similar properties. These
materials are thus widely used in wire bound standard resistors sincetheir
resistance values would change very little with temperatures.
Unlike metals, the resistivities of semiconductors decrease with increasing
temperatures. A typical dependence is shown in Fig. 3.11.

 thus depends inversely both on the number n of free electrons per

unit volume and on the average time  between collisions.

(As we increase temperature, average speed of the electrons, which

act as the carriers of crrent, increases resulting in more frequent
collisions. The average time  f collisions, thus decreases with
temperature.)
In a metal, n is not dependent on temperature to any appreciable
xtent and thus the decrease in the value of with rise in temperature
caues ρ to increase as we have observed.
For insulators and semiconductors, however, n increases with temp.
This increase more than compensates any decrease in  in
Eq.(3.23) so that for such materials, ρ decreases with temperature.

emf ε is the potential difference between the positive and negative electrodes in
an open circuit, i.e., when no current is flowing through the cell.
If however R is finite, I is not zero.
V= – I r

The maxi current that can be drawn from a cell is for R = 0 and it is Imax = ε / r

The Wheatstone bridge and its balance condition provide a practical

method for determination of an unknown resistance.
Keeping known resistances R1 and R2 in the first and second arm of the bridge,
we go on varying R3 till the galvanometer shows a null deflection. The bridge
then is balanced, and from the balance condition the value of the unknown
resistance R4 is given by,

The potentiometer is a device to compare potential differences. Since

the method involves a condition of no current flow, the device can be used to
measure potential difference; internal resistance of a cell and compare emf’s of
two sources.