Wheatstone Bridge: A (Not So) Honorable History

Charles Wheatstone introduced "his" bridge in 1843 but it was first invented in 1833 by Samuel Christie. This is the story of why these men invented this device and the convoluted tale of how it got its name.


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As usual, a big thank you to the fabulous Kim Nalley for singing "electricity" and some background music. www.kimnalley.com

Solving the Wheatstone Bridge with voltages and voltmeters:
   • Circuits in Practice: The Wheatstone ...  

Solving the Wheatstone Bridge for equivalent resistance:
   • Bridge Circuit Equivalent Resistance  

References:
“great difficulty in adopting” Christie, S “The Bakerian Lecture” (Feb 28, 1833) Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Vol. 123 (1833) p. 95
“the intensity of the current” Christie, S “The Bakerian Lecture” (Feb 28, 1833) Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Vol. 123 (1833) p. 98
“nearly 288,000 miles” Wheatstone, C “An account of some experiments to measure the velocity of electricity” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London vol 3 (Dec 1837) p. 300
“elected as a member of the prestigious Royal Society of London” Proceedings of the Royal Society vol. 3 (Dec 1837) p. 366
“imagine my dismay..” Letter XIV: William Cooke to his mother (Feb 27, 1837) Extracts (1895) p. 19
“the velocity of lightning” ibid
“the glory of Wheatstone’s name…” Clark, L “Memoir of Sir William Fothergill Cooke” (1879) found in Extracts (1895) p. 72
“I found that Mr. Wheatstone…” Cooke quoted in Extracts (1895) p. 890
Jacobi, M “On the application of Electro-magnetism to the moving of Machines” (April 1835) The Annals of Electricity, Magnetism, and Chemistry (Oct 1837) p. 422
“Jacobi’s motor remained the world’s most powerful electric motor..” According to “Jacobi’s Motor” from the Electrotechnisches Institut https://www.eti.kit.edu/english/1382.php
“founded on exactly the same principles…” Jacobi, M “On the Principles of Electro-Magnetical Machines” (1840) 10th Meeting of the British Association (1841) p. 21
“has shown me, in his unpublished papers…” Jacobi, M “On the Principles of Electro-Magnetical Machines” (1840) 10th Meeting of the British Association (1841) p. 21
“to determine the practicability…” Wheatstone, C “An Account of Several New Instruments…” Proceedings of the Royal Society vol. 133 p. 303
“differential resistance measurer” Wheatstone, C “An Account of Several New Instruments…” Proceedings of the Royal Society vol. 133 p. 323-4
“differs in mechanical construction…” ibid
“not yet generally understood and admitted” Wheatstone, C “An Account of Several New Instruments…” Proceedings of the Royal Society vol. 133 p. 303
“one of the first…to appreciate the importance of Ohm’s” “Obituary Notices: Charles Wheatstone” Proceedings of the Royal
Society vol. 24 (1876) p.xxiv
“Mr. Christie… has described…” Wheatstone, C “An Account of Several New Instruments…” Proceedings of the Royal Society vol. 133 p. 325
“kwaker” according to Stubley, P Calendar of Crime (2014)
“Electric Telegraph Company… quit” Cooke, W The Electric Telegraph: Was it Invented by Professor Wheatstone? (1854) p. 44-8
“Wheatstone’s bridge” Siemens, W “Proposal for a new reproducible Standard Measure of Resistance” (1860) translated and found in The London, Edinburgh and Dublin Philosophical Magazine Forth Series (Jan, 1861) p. 31
“the beautiful arrangement first invented…” Thomson, W “On the Measurement of Electric Resistance” (June 6, 1861) Proceedings of the Royal Society vol. 11 (1862) p. 313