Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
State the uses of a potentiometer.
Advertisements
Solution 1
The applications of the potentiometer discussed above are used in a laboratory. Some practical applications of the potentiometer are given below.
- Voltage divider: The potentiometer can be used as a voltage divider to change the output voltage of a voltage supply.
- Audio control: Sliding potentiometers are commonly used in modern low-power audio systems as audio control devices. Both sliding (faders) and rotary potentiometers (knobs) are regularly used for frequency attenuation, loudness control and for controlling different characteristics of audio signals.
- Potentiometer as a sensor: lf the slider of the potentiometer is connected to the moving part of a machine, it can work as a motion sensor. A small displacement of the moving part causes a change in potential which is further amplified using an amplifier circuit. The potential difference is calibrated in terms of displacement of the moving part.
- To measure the emf (for this, the emf of the standard cell and potential gradient must be known).
- To compare the emfs of two cells.
- To determine a cell’s internal resistance.
Solution 2
a. Potentiometer as a voltage Divider:
1. The potentiometer can be used as a voltage divider to continuously change the output voltage of a voltage supply. 
2. As shown in the above figure, potential V is set up between points A and B of a potentiometer wire.
3. One end of a device is connected to positive point A and the other end is connected to a slider that can move along wire AB.
4. The voltage V gets divided in the proportion of lengths l1 and l2, such that
V1 = `(dV(l))/(dL)` and
V2 = `(dV(L - l_1))/(dL)`
b. Potentiometer as an audio control:
1. Sliding potentiometers are commonly used in modern low-power audio systems as audio control devices.
2. Both sliding (faders) and rotary potentiometers (knobs) are regularly used for frequency attenuation, loudness control, and for controlling different characteristics of audio signals.
c. Potentiometer as a sensor:
1. If the slider of a potentiometer is connected to the moving part of a machine, it can work as a motion sensor.
2. A small displacement of the moving part causes changes in potential which is further amplified using an amplifier circuit.
3. The potential difference is calibrated in terms of the displacement of the moving part.
RELATED QUESTIONS
A potentiometer wire has resistance of per unit length of 0.1 Ω/m. A cell of e.m.f. 1.5 V balances against a 300 cm length of the wire. Find the current in the potentiometer wire.
State the principle of working of a potentiometer.
Figure shows a potentiometer with a cell of 2.0 V and internal resistance 0.40 Ω maintaining a potential drop across the resistor wire AB. A standard cell which maintains a constant emf of 1.02 V (for very moderate currents up to a few mA) gives a balance point at 67.3 cm length of the wire. To ensure very low currents drawn from the standard cell, very high resistance of 600 kΩ is put in series with it, which is shorted close to the balance point. The standard cell is then replaced by a cell of unknown emf ε and the balance point found similarly, turns out to be at 82.3 cm length of the wire.
(a) What is the value ε?
(b) What purpose does the high resistance of 600 kΩ have?
(c) Is the balance point affected by this high resistance?
(d) Is the balance point affected by the internal resistance of the driver cell?
(e) Would the method work in the above situation if the driver cell of the potentiometer had an emf of 1.0 V instead of 2.0 V?
(f) Would the circuit work well for determining an extremely small emf, say of the order of a few mV (such as the typical emf of a thermo-couple)? If not, how will you modify the circuit?
Figure 3.34 shows a potentiometer circuit for comparison of two resistances. The balance point with a standard resistor R = 10.0 Ω is found to be 58.3 cm, while that with the unknown resistance X is 68.5 cm. Determine the value of X. What might you do if you failed to find a balance point with the given cell of emf ε?
Figure shows a 2.0 V potentiometer used for the determination of internal resistance of a 1.5 V cell. The balance point of the cell in open circuit is 76.3 cm. When a resistor of 9.5 Ω is used in the external circuit of the cell, the balance point shifts to 64.8 cm length of the potentiometer wire. Determine the internal resistance of the cell.
State the principle of a potentiometer. Define potential gradient. Obtain an expression for potential gradient in terms of resistivity of the potentiometer wire.
Figure shows a long potentiometer wire AB having a constant potential gradient. The null points for the two primary cells of emfs ε1 and ε2 connected in the manner shown are obtained at a distance of l1 = 120 cm and l2 = 300 cm from the end A. Determine (i) ε1/ε2 and (ii) position of null point for the cell ε1 only.
Describe briefly, with the help of a circuit diagram, how a potentiometer is used to determine the internal resistance of a cell.
The net resistance of a voltmeter should be large to ensure that ______________ .
A student uses the circuit diagram of a potentiometer as shown in the figure
(a) for a steady current I passing through the potentiometer wire, he gets a null point for the cell ε1. and not for ε2. Give the reason for this observation and suggest how this difficulty can be resolved.
(b) What is the function of resistance R used in the circuit? How will the change in its value affect the null point?
(c) How can the sensitivity of the potentiometer be increased?
Define a Potentiometer.
A potential drop per unit length along a wire is 5 × 10−3 V/m. If the emf of a cell balances against length 216 cm of this potentiometer wire, find the emf of the cell.
Describe how a potentiometer is used to compare the emf's of two cells by the combination method.
The resistance of a potentiometer wire is 8 Ω and its length is 8 m. A resistance box and a 2 V battery are connected in series with iL What should be the resistance in the box if it is desired to have a potential drop of 1 µV/mm?
When two cells of emf's E1 and E2 are connected in series so as to assist each other, their balancing length on a potentiometer wire is found to be 2.7 m. When the cells are connected in series so as to oppose each other, the balancing length is found to be 0.3 m. Compare the emf's of the two cells.
When the null point is obtained in the potentiometer, the current is drawn from the ______
State any one use of a potentiometer.
A voltmeter has a resistance of 100 Ω. What will be its reading when it is connected across a cell of emf 6 V and internal resistance 20 Ω?
A cell of e.m.f 1.5V and negligible internal resistance is connected in series with a potential meter of length 10 m and the total resistance of 20 Ω. What resistance should be introduced in the resistance box such that the potential drop across the potentiometer is one microvolt per cm of the wire?
The emf of a standard cell is 1.5V and is balanced by a length of 300 cm of a potentiometer with a 10 m long wire. Find the percentage error in a voltmeter that balances at 350 cm when its reading is 1.8 V.
A potentiometer wire is 4m long and potential difference of 3V is maintained between the ends. The emf of the cell, which balances against a length of 100 cm of the potentiometer wire is ____________.
The resistance of the potentiometer wire should ideally be ____________.
A potentiometer wire has length L For given cell of emf E, the balancing length is `"L"/3` from 3 the positive end of the wire. If the length of the potentiometer wire is increased by 50%, then for the same cell, the balance point is obtained at length.
If the e.m.f of a cell is not constant in the metre bridge experiment, then the ____________.
Which of the following is true for a potentiometer?
To determine the internal resistance of a cell by using potentiometer, the null point is at 1 m when cell is shunted by 3 Ω resistance and at a length 1.5 m when cell is shunted by 6 Ω resistance. The internal resistance of the cell is ______.
In the potentiometer experiment, the balancing length with cell E1 of unknown e.m.f. is ℓ1 cm. By shunting the cell E1 with resistance 'R' which is equal to internal resistance (r) of the cell E1, the balancing length ℓ2 is ______
A potentiometer is used to measure the potential difference between A and B, the null point is obtained at 0.9 m. Now the potential difference between A and C is measured, the null point is obtained at 0.3 m. The ratio `E_2/E_1` is (E1 > E2) ______
Two students X and Y perform potentiometer experiment separately and null point was obtained as shown in diagram. During the experiment, ______.
- X increases the value of R (resistance)
- Y decreases the value of S (resistance)
The position of null point obtained by students X and Y respectively.
In the potentiometer experiment, the balancing length with a cell E1 of unknown e.m.f. is 'ℓ1' cm. By shunting the cell with resistance R Ω, the balancing length becomes `ℓ_1/2` cm, the internal resistance (r) of a cell is ______
Potentiometer measures the potential difference more accurately than a voltmeter, because ______.
A potentiometer wire is 100 cm long and a constant potential difference is maintained across it. Two cells are connected in series first to support one another and then in opposite direction. The balance points are obtained at 50 cm and 10 cm from the positive end of the wire in the two cases. The ratio of emf's is ______.
In the experiment of potentiometer, at balance point, there is no current in the ______.
AB is a wire of potentiometer with the increase in the value of resistance R, the shift in the balance point J will be ______.
A 10 m long wire of uniform cross-section and 20 Ω resistance is used in a potentiometer. The wire is connected in series with a battery of 5 V along with an external resistance of 480 Ω. If an unknown emf E is balanced at 6.0 m length of the wire, then the value of unknown emf is ______.
AB is a wire of potentiometer with the increase in value of resistance R, the shift in the balance point J will be:
The conductivity of super - conductor is
A wire of resistance R is cut into two equal part. There parts are then connected in parallel. The equivalent resistance of the combination will be
In a potentiometer circuit a cell of EMF 1.5 V gives balance point at 36 cm length of wire. If another cell of EMF 2.5 V replaces the first cell, then at what length of the wire, the balance point occurs?
Consider a simple circuit shown in figure 
stands for a variable resistance R′. R′ can vary from R0 to infinity. r is internal resistance of the battery (r << R << R0).
- Potential drop across AB is nearly constant as R ′ is varied.
- Current through R′ is nearly a constant as R ′ is varied.
- Current I depends sensitively on R′.
- `I ≥ V/(r + R)` always.
AB is a potentiometer wire (Figure). If the value of R is increased, in which direction will the balance point J shift?
Potential difference between the points A and B in the circuit shown is 16 V, then potential difference across 2Ω resistor is ______ V. volt. (VA > VB)
A cell of internal resistance r is connected across an external resistance nr. Then the ratio of the terminal voltage to the emf of the cell is ______.
In balanced meter bridge, the resistance of bridge wire is 0.1 Ω cm. Unknown resistance X is connected in left gap and 6 Ω in right gap, null point divides the wire in the ratio 2:3. Find the current drawn from the battery of 5 V having negligible resistance.
What will a voltmeter of resistance 200 Ω read when connected across a cell of emf 2 V and internal resistance 2 Ω?
A particle carrying 8 electron charges starts from rest and is accelerated through a potential difference of 9000 V. Calculate the KE acquired by it in keV.
State dimension of potential gradient.
What is the internal resistance of the cell?
Draw neat labelled diagram of potentiometer as voltage divider.
