poteniometre

A potentiometer is an electrical device that measures the voltage between two points in a circuit. It consists of a resistive wire column, known as the measuring element, which is divided by precisely calibrated contacts called potentiometer taps. These taps divide the wire into segments of known resistance, allowing the user to select any point on the wire for measurement.

Operation of a potentiometer typically involves connecting a voltage source to the resistive wire column, with the measuring element and potentiometer taps in series. When a voltage is applied to the circuit, a measured voltage is generated between the selected tap and the end of the resistive wire column. This measured voltage is proportional to the resistance of the segment between the tap and the end of the column.

A potentiometer is commonly used to measure small voltage differences, and in certain applications to control the flow of current through a circuit by providing a variable resistance. One noteworthy application of a potentiometer is in balanced bridge circuits, where the voltage output between two points between a finely tuned balance provides readings that quantify deviations from equilibrium in a system under measurement.

Its versatility, along with the ability to provide precise measurements due to the finely calibrated nature of its measuring element make potentiometers useful in numerous applications, including equipment that need precise measurements of small currents, variable resistance control, electronic circuit analysis, and instrumentation systems across various fields, such as electronics, physics, engineering, chemistry, and other measuring disciplines.