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A Wheatstone Bridge is a circuit used to measure resistance. It consists of four resistors arranged in a diamond shape with a voltage source and a galvanometer connected in between.
The Wheatstone Bridge works by comparing the unknown resistance with a known resistance. The voltage source is adjusted until the galvanometer reads zero, indicating that the two sides of the bridge are balanced and the unknown resistance can be calculated.
The maximum power delivered by a Wheatstone Bridge is equal to half of the power supply voltage squared divided by the total resistance of the bridge. This is known as the maximum power theorem and occurs when the resistance of the galvanometer is equal to the resistance of the unknown resistor.
To calculate the maximum power, you would use the formula P = V2/4R, where P is power, V is the power supply voltage, and R is the total resistance of the bridge.
The Wheatstone Bridge has many practical applications, including measuring strain in materials, determining unknown resistances, and accurately measuring small changes in resistance. It is also used in electronics to balance circuits and measure small changes in voltage.
