Wheatstone Bridge
Four arm bridge circuit used to measure resistance, inductance or capacitance.
A network of four resistances, an emf source, and an indicator connected such that when the four resistances are matched, the indicator will show a zero deflection or "null" reading.
The Wheatstone Bridge forms the prototype of most other bridge circuits.
Historical Notes
- 1833 Samuel Hunter Christie first describes the Wheatstone Bridge in his paper "Experimental Determination of the Laws of Magneto-electric Induction".
- 1843 Sir Charles Wheatstone received credit for its invention because of his adaptation of the circuit in 1843 for the measurement of resistance.
See also: Capacitance, Inductance, Resistance.
Subjects: Electronics