Wheatstone bridge

electrical instrument

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Last updated

July 23, 2026

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The Wheatstone bridge is an electrical instrument used to accurately measure electrical resistance. It consists of a circuit with four arms, primarily made of resistors. This device works by comparing the electrical current flowing through one part of the bridge to a known current in another part.12

Invented by Samuel Christie and popularized by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1843, the Wheatstone bridge became a common tool in laboratories. While primarily used for resistance, variations of the bridge can also measure inductance, capacitance, and frequency by incorporating different circuit elements.12

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bridge
The Wheatstone bridge has four arms, all predominantly resistive. A bridge can measure other quantities in addition to resistance, depending upon the type of circuit elements used in the arms. It can measure inductance, capacitance, and frequency with the proper combination and arrangement of inductances and…
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The Wheatstone bridge has four arms, all predominantly resistive. A bridge can measure other quantities in addition to resistance, depending upon the type of circuit elements used in the arms. It can measure inductance, capacitance, and frequency with the proper combination and arrangement of inductances and…
Read More

Sir Charles Wheatstone
…English physicist who popularized the Wheatstone bridge, a device that accurately measured electrical resistance and became widely used in laboratories.
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…English physicist who popularized the Wheatstone bridge, a device that accurately measured electrical resistance and became widely used in laboratories.
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vacuum technology
Thermal conductivity gauges
…Pirani gauge basically is a Wheatstone bridge with one arm in the form of a heated filament placed in the vacuum system. The resistance of the filament depends on its temperature, which, in turn, depends on the rate of dissipation of thermal energy through the residual gas. Thermal energy dissipation…
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…Pirani gauge basically is a Wheatstone bridge with one arm in the form of a heated filament placed in the vacuum system. The resistance of the filament depends on its temperature, which, in turn, depends on the rate of dissipation of thermal energy through the residual gas. Thermal energy dissipation…
Read More