Past exam of the physics 2 paper of the University of Oxford / 2022 / 8 / b

Let the source's top terminal have voltage phasor $V_0$ and its bottom terminal zero. Denote the left and right junctions by $L$ and $R$. The two left resistors are equal, so at balance $V_L=V_0/2$. Zero electric current through the ammeter requires $V_R=V_L$, and therefore equal upper and lower right-arm electrical impedances:Write $x=\omega R_x{C}_x$. Separating real parts and imaginary parts givesThe second equation implies $1+x^2={\omega }^2{R}_x^{2}C{C}_x$. Subtract $x^2={\omega }^2{R}_x^2{C}_x^2$ to obtainA finite balance with positive components requires $0<C_x<C$, and then $0<R_v<R_x$. This equal-ratio RC bridge uses equality of arm electrical impedances, independent of the conjugate-matching convention in part (a).

Detector convention. The stated negligible-electrical impedance ammeter is an ideal short circuit, whose actual terminal voltage is zero at every angular frequency. The nontrivial bridge output usually intended is the open-circuit junction difference, obtained with the detector removed or replaced by a high-input impedance voltmeter. Define its polarity byFor a detector of finite electrical impedance $Z_A$, its terminal voltage is insteadHere $Z_{\mathrm{th}}$ is the Thévenin equivalent electrical impedance, found by shorting the ideal source. This exhibits why the ideal-ammeter limit $Z_A\to 0$ has zero terminal voltage even when the bridge is unbalanced.

At zero angular frequency, the lower right capacitor is an open circuit, while the upper right electrical impedance tends to $R_x$. With the detector removed, no electric current flows down that branch, so $V_R=V_0$ and $V_L=V_0/2$. ThereforeFor the connected ideal ammeter, the resulting electric current from right to left is $V_0/(R+2R_x)$, despite its zero terminal voltage. This follows from $I_A=V_{\mathrm{oc}}/Z_{\mathrm{th}}$ with $Z_{\mathrm{th}}=R/2+R_x$.

At the balance angular frequency, $Z=W$ and the two voltage dividers have the same ratio. ThusThis zero detector electric current is the operational condition used to find $R_v$ and ${\omega }_0$.

As $\omega \to \infty$, both capacitors approach short circuits. Thus $Z\to 0$, $W\to R_v>0$, and the unloaded right junction tends to the source's top-terminal voltage. HenceThe connected ideal ammeter carries limiting electric current $V_0/R$ from right to left because $Z_{\mathrm{th}}\to R/2$. Reversing the output polarity reverses both nonzero open-circuit answers, without changing their magnitudes.