Physics Project

(2023-2024)
PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT
TOPIC: To Study Various Factors on which

the Internal Resistance/EMF of a
cell depends.
SUBMITTED BY: Alwin C Shaji

GRADE: XI
REGISTRATION NO: 5051
GUIDED BY: Mr. Harimohan KK
Acknowledgement
I would like to extend my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to our

principal, Mrs. Molly D’Coutho for giving us the opportunity to
make this report and letting us use the laboratory equipments
which were very necessary in the completion of this project.
I am also thankful to Mr. Harimohan KK, our dear physics

teacher who has been a great helper, friend and advisor in this
endeavor without whose cooperation, guidance and
encouragement, this project would not be possible.
I wish to acknowledge my heartfelt thanks to her for her constant

supervision over the project and for providing all the necessary
information and details regarding the project.
Last but not least, I’m very thankful for the support extended my
friends during the making of this project; their wisdom and ideas
were of a great help to me.
INDEX
◉INTRODUCTION
◉PRACTICAL ANALYSIS
➣ Objective
➣ Apparatus
➣ Theory
➣ Circuit Diagram
➣ Procedure
➣ Observations
➣ Result and Interferences
➣ Precautions
➣ Sources of Error
◉OVERALL REPORT
➣ Discussion
➣ Conclusion
➣ Flowchart
◉BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION
A cell is a device that converts

chemical energy into electrical energy.
It consists of two electrodes, called the
anode and the cathode, immersed in an electrolyte. The
anode is the electrode where oxidation takes place, and
the cathode is the electrode where reduction takes place.
The electromotive force (EMF) of a cell is

the maximum potential difference between
the two electrodes when no current is flowing. It is a
measure of the ability of the cell to do work.
The internal resistance of a cell is the resistance offered by
the electrolyte to the flow of current. It is determined by
the factors such as the distance between the electrodes,
the surface area of the electrodes, the
nature of the electrolyte, and the
temperature of the electrolyte.
The objective of this project is to study

the factors on which the internal resistance and EMF of a
cell depend.
Thus, this project report is based on practical analysis for

the factors affecting the internal resistance of a cell.
PRACTICAL ANALYSIS
OBJECTIVE:
To study the various factors on which the internal resistance of a
cell depends.
APPARATUS:
A potentiometer, a battery (or battery eliminator), two one way
keys, a rheostat, a galvanometer, a resistance box, an ammeter,
a cell (Leclanche cell), a jockey, a setsquare, connecting wires
and sand paper.
THEORY:
The internal resistance of a cell is the resistance offered by its
electrolyte to the flow of ions.
The internal resistance of a cell :-
❖ is directly proportional to the distance between the
electrodes.
❖ is inversely proportional to facing surface area of the
electrodes in electrolyte.
❖ decreases with increase in temperature of electrolyte.
❖ is inversely proportional to concentration of electrolyte.
The internal resistance of a cell is given by :-
where I1 and I2 are the balancing lengths without

resistance and with resistance (shunt), respectively and
R is the shunt resistance in parallel with the given cell.
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM:
PROCEDURE:
1. Clean the ends of the connecting wires with sand paper
and make tight connections according to the circuit
diagram.
2. Tighten the plugs of the resistance box.
3. Check the e.m.f. of the battery and of the cell and make
sure that e.m.f. of the battery is more than that of the cell,
otherwise null or balance point will not be obtained.
To study variation of internal resistance with
distance of separation :-
4. Keep both the electrodes at a distance of 16 cm. 5.
Take maximum current from the battery, making rheostat
resistance small.
6. Without inserting a plug in key K2, adjust the rheostat
so that a null point is obtained on the last wire of the
potentiometer.
7. Determine the position of the null point accurately using
a set square and measure the balancing length (1)
between the null point and the end P.
8. Next introduce plugs in both keys K1 and K2. At the
same time, take out a small resistance (1-5 W) from the
shunt resistance box connected in parallel with the cell.
9. Slide the jockey along a potentiometer wire and obtain
the null point.
10. Measure the balancing length (12) from end P. Record
these observations.
11. Now keep the electrodes 12 cm apart.
12. Then remove the plugs of keys K and K2. Wait for
some time and repeat steps 7 to 10.
13.Next, keep the electrodes 9 cm apart to obtain another
set of observations.
To study variation of internal resistance with area
of electrodes :-
14. Keeping all other factors constant, increase the area of
electrodes in the electrolyte by dipping them into the
electrolyte at different depths for each observation.
15.Obtain three such observations by
repeating steps 7 to 10. Record your readings.
To study variation of internal resistance with
concentration of electrolyte :-
16. Keeping all other factors constant, decrease the
concentration of electrolyte by adding distilled water for
different observations.
17.Obtain three such observations by repeating step 7 to
10. Record your readings.
OBSERVATIONS:
Table for effect of seperation between Electrodes :-
Table for effect of Temperature :-

RESULT AND INTERFERENCES
• The Electromotive Force of the cell is constant and is
equal to E = 0.98 Volt.
• The internal resistance of a cell is directly proportional to
the separation between the electrodes.
• The internal resistance of a cell is inversely proportional
to the area of the electrodes dipped in electrolyte.
• The internal resistance of a cell is inversely proportional
to the temperature of electrolytes. • The internal resistance
of a cell is inversely proportional to the concentration of
the electrolyte.
PRECAUTIONS:
1. The connections should be neat, clean and tight.
2. The plugs should be introduced in the keys only when
the observations are to be taken.
3. The positive polls of the battery E and cells E1 and E2
should, all be connected to the terminal at the zero of the
wires.
4. The jockey key should not be rubbed along the wire. It
should touch the wire gently.
5. The ammeter reading should remain constant for a
particular set of observation. If necessary, adjust the
rheostat for this purpose.
SOURCES OF ERROR
1. The auxiliary battery may not be fully charged.
2. The potentiometer wire may not be of uniform
cross- section and material density throughout its length.
3. End resistances may not be zero.
OVERALL REPORT
DISCUSSION
The internal resistance of the cell is inversely proportional

to the surface area of the electrodes. This is because a
larger surface area allows for more ions to flow through
the electrolyte, which reduces the resistance.
The internal resistance of the cell is also directly

proportional to the distance between the electrodes. This
is because a longer distance between the electrodes
means that the ions have to travel further, which increases
the resistance.
to the concentration of the electrolyte. This is because a
higher concentration of electrolyte means that there are
more ions available to carry the current, which reduces
the resistance.

to the temperature of the electrolyte. This is because a
higher temperature means that the ions are more mobile,
which reduces the resistance.
CONCLUSION
The internal resistance and EMF of a cell are determined

by the factors such as the distance between the
electrodes, the surface area of the electrodes, the nature
of the electrolyte, and the temperature of the electrolyte.
The internal resistance of the cell can be reduced by

increasing the surface area of the electrodes and
decreasing the distance between the electrodes. The EMF
of the cell can be increased by increasing the
concentration of the electrolyte and the temperature of the
electrolyte.
FLOWCHART
BIBLIOGRAPHY
⤨ www.google.com
⤨ www.bing.com
⤨ https://bard.google.com/
⤨ https://www.slideshare.net/
⤨ https://www.scribd.com/home
⤨ https://www.wikipedia.org/
⤨ https://vdocuments.mx/
⤨ https://docfoc.com/

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(2023-2024)

TOPIC: To Study Various Factors on which

SUBMITTED BY: Alwin C Shaji

I would like to extend my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to our

I am also thankful to Mr. Harimohan KK, our dear physics

I wish to acknowledge my heartfelt thanks to her for her constant

A cell is a device that converts

The electromotive force (EMF) of a cell is

The objective of this project is to study

Thus, this project report is based on practical analysis for

The internal resistance of a cell is given by :-

where I1 and I2 are the balancing lengths without

Table for effect of seperation between Electrodes :-

Table for effect of Temperature :-

The internal resistance of the cell is inversely proportional

The internal resistance of the cell is also directly

The internal resistance of the cell is inversely proportional

The internal resistance and EMF of a cell are determined

The internal resistance of the cell can be reduced by

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