Spot Reflecting Galvanometer
Product Code : SCL-ES-11440
Description:
The Educational Instruments Spot Reflecting Galvanometer is a classic and highly sensitive piece of Physics Science educational laboratory equipment used for the detection and measurement of extremely small electric currents (often in the microampere range). It operates on the principle of electromagnetic interaction, where a coil suspended in a strong magnetic field rotates when current passes through it.
The key to its high precision is the integrated mirror system. A small mirror attached to the coil reflects a beam of light onto a distant, calibrated scale.3 This optical lever system effectively magnifies the tiny rotational movement of the coil into a large, easily readable deflection of the light spot on the scale, drastically increasing the instrument's sensitivity and minimizing reading errors. This makes it an essential tool for high-precision experiments in both physics and electrical engineering labs.
Usage:
The Spot Reflecting Galvanometer is indispensable in experiments requiring the measurement of minute changes in electrical current that standard meters cannot detect.
Wheatstone Bridge and Potentiometer: It is the ideal null-detector in high-precision circuits like the Wheatstone bridge (for accurate resistance measurement) and the potentiometer (for accurate voltage comparison).4 In these setups, the goal is to adjust the circuit until the galvanometer registers zero current, known as the "null point," maximizing the accuracy of the final reading.
Thermoelectric Effects (Seebeck Effect): Used to detect the very small currents generated when two different conductors are joined and the junctions are held at different temperatures, allowing students to study fundamental concepts in thermodynamics and solid-state physics.
Electrochemical Cells: Employed in experiments involving electrochemistry to measure the tiny currents produced by chemical reactions in galvanic or electrolytic cells.
Magnetic Field Measurement: Can be used in conjunction with a search coil to detect and measure very small changes in magnetic flux or magnetic field strength.
The instrument's design minimizes friction and parallax error, ensuring stable and accurate measurements even when dealing with extremely weak signals.
Specifications & Features:
Mechanism: Suspended Coil in Magnetic Field
Sensing: Mirror and Light Spot System
Measurement: Microampere Range (Very Small Currents)
Error Reduction: Minimizes Parallax Error
Benefits:
Utilizes the fundamental principle of electromagnetic interaction to detect current.
Provides an optical lever to magnify tiny coil deflections, ensuring high sensitivity.
Ideal for delicate, low-level signal detection in research and advanced labs.
Reflection onto a distant scale ensures consistent and highly accurate readings.
