The galvanometer is a instrument made to detect the presence of an electric current and to register its direction and strenght; based on the discovery by Oersted that a magnetic needle is deflected by electricity flowing through a conductor; the machine consists of a coil composed of several turns of insulated copper wire, a small magnet hung at its center, and a pointer; the earlier galvanometer had needle free to turn; later models use a fixed needle with a movable coil.
The galvanometer term, originated from the name of Italian scientist, Luigi Galvani, who designed the first manual of this instrument.
