What Is the Difference Between a Flowmeter and a Galvanometer?

Science is a broad subject that highlights various key disciplines such as inertia, gravity, electric currents, human systems, chemical formulas, and more. Science is not limited to textbooks, but it is also applied in our daily lives. Science is used in various fields. For example, many devices and technologies are used to predict natural disasters that may cause harm to humans. Some technologies can also be used to measure the damage caused by disasters. So today, we will talk about physics. Physics includes many topics such as gravity, electricity, electric currents, etc. We will discuss electric currents and the methods used to measure them. There are two instruments that can measure these electric currents, namely galvanometers and voltmeters.

Galvanometers are used to measure small electric currents

The operating principle of the galvanometer is based on the magnetic effect of the electric current. When an electric current flows through its wire, it produces a magnetic field that drives the pointer to rotate, which is similar to the operation of a galvanometer. The design principle of the electric current meter is that a low resistance is connected in parallel to the galvanometer, which extends the measuring range but reduces the accuracy compared to the galvanometer. The deflection direction of the electric current meter is the same as the direction of the current flow, which is different from the deflection direction of the galvanometer which is in the direction of electron flow. The design principle of the voltmeter is that a high resistance is connected in series to the galvanometer. When transporting or not using the galvanometer, both ends should be short-circuited to increase the damping of the pointer movement and reduce damage to the galvanometer.

The difference between galvanometers and electric current meters

Galvanometers

An galvanometer is defined as an electromechanical instrument used to measure electric currents. It measures small amounts of current. The galvanometer can be considered an actuator. Now, what is an actuator? Well, an actuator is responsible for moving and controlling a specific system. Modern galvanometers are used to control and locate systems. There are two types of galvanometers: closed-loop galvanometers and open-loop galvanometers. In addition to these two, there are four types of mirror instruments, namely tangent mirror, stationary mirror, specular mirror, and ballistics mirror.

In the early days, galvanometers were used to detect differences in telecommunication cables. The galvanometer is based on a basic principle that a coil with current in a magnetic field experiences rotation or force. One of the main advantages of the galvanometer is its very high sensitivity. The accuracy and flexibility are also high and not affected by the magnetic field. The force or rotation in the current cannot be easily changed. Temperature changes can cause the current to change its rotation or increase/decrease its force. Interestingly, the galvanometer does not describe any quantity, which means that there is no minimum galvanometer count.

Electric current meter

An electric current meter is defined as an instrument used to measure a wide range of electric currents. It measures DC and AC currents. So how does an electric current meter work? Well, an electric current meter is used to measure the current flow through a group of coils with low resistance and inductance. There are several types of electric current meters based on the structure and measurement of the current. The unit used to measure the current in the electric current meter is ampere.