Spot Reflecting Galvanometer
Product Code : SCL-ES-11440
Quick Answer: The Spot Reflecting Galvanometer detects very small electric currents in the microampere range. A mirror fixed to its suspended coil throws a spot of light onto a calibrated scale, so a tiny turn of the coil shows as a large movement of the spot.
Last updated: October 2026
Key Features
- Moving coil suspended in a magnetic field
- Mirror on the coil reflects a light beam onto a distant calibrated scale
- Light-spot reading acts as an optical lever that magnifies small deflections
- Reading the spot on the scale reduces parallax error
- Suited to null detection in bridge and potentiometer circuits
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Mechanism | Suspended coil in magnetic field |
| Sensing | Mirror and light spot system |
| Measurement | Microampere range (very small currents) |
| Error reduction | Minimises parallax error |
About This Product
Students use the galvanometer as the null detector in a Wheatstone bridge or potentiometer, adjusting the circuit until it shows no current. It also picks up the small currents from a thermocouple junction in Seebeck effect work, from galvanic and electrolytic cells, and from a search coil when studying changes in magnetic flux. Enquiries from Iran, Saint Lucia, Cambodia, Mozambique, Lithuania and Brunei for the Spot Reflecting Galvanometer receive an export quotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the galvanometer use a light spot?
The mirror on the coil reflects light onto a distant scale, so a very small rotation of the coil gives a large, easily read movement of the spot.
Which experiments is it used for?
It serves as a null detector in Wheatstone bridge and potentiometer circuits and detects small currents in thermoelectric, electrochemical cell and search coil experiments.
Related: Electrostatics & Sound, Dynamo Model AC DC and Electrical Transformer Model.
For a quotation on the Spot Reflecting Galvanometer, contact Educational Instrument.
