1. An instrument for detecting and measuring small electric currents.
Usage: technical; physics

Examples

• The physics student used a galvanometer to measure the current flowing through the circuit.
• A galvanometer is essential equipment in any electrical laboratory.
• The needle on the galvanometer deflected when the switch was closed.
• Early galvanometers were used to detect the presence of electric current before more precise instruments were developed.
• The sensitivity of the galvanometer allowed researchers to detect very weak electrical signals.