Wheatstone bridge

American

Or Wheatstone's bridge

noun

Electricity.

a circuit for measuring an unknown resistance by comparing it with known resistances.

Wheatstone bridge British

/ ˈwiːtstən /

noun

a device for determining the value of an unknown resistance by comparison with a known standard resistance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Wheatstone bridge

First recorded in 1870–75; named after C. Wheatstone

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Another null measurement device, for determining resistance, is the Wheatstone bridge.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

The Wheatstone bridge is a null measurement device for calculating resistance by balancing potential drops in a circuit.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Suppose you want to measure resistances in the range from 10.0 Ω to 10.0 kΩ using a Wheatstone bridge that has R2 = 2.000 .

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Figure 21.40 The Wheatstone bridge is used to calculate unknown resistances.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

To do this we use an instrument called the Wheatstone bridge.

From Cap'n Eri by Lincoln, Joseph Crosby

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023