Galvanometer
device · 1820 · Industrial Revolution
An instrument that detects current by the deflection of a needle.
What it is made of
- Permanent magnet — has part. A magnet.
Principles and materials it uses
- Electromagnetism — uses. The needle is deflected by the field of the current.
- Copper — is made of. The coil is copper wire.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Multimeter — evolved into. Analogue multimeters are a galvanometer with shunts.
- Ammeter — evolved into. An ammeter is a galvanometer with a scale in amperes and a shunt that carries most of the current.
- Voltmeter — evolved into. A voltmeter is a galvanometer with a large series resistor: a tiny current, proportional to the voltage, flows through it.
- Electrocardiograph — evolved into. Einthoven’s string galvanometer.