DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL
PHYSICS PROJECT
Topic: To study the earth's magnetic field using a
compass needle-bar magnet by plotting magnetic
field lines and tangent galvanometer.
Submitted by: Submitted to:
Soumya Ranjan Sahoo Mr. Md Zahid
Class: XII Sec:A
Roll no.:
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the PHYSICS project titled
'To study the earth's magnetic field using a compass
needle-bar magnet by plotting magnetic field lines
and tangent galvanometer' has been successfully
completed by SOUMYA RANJAN SAHOO of Class XII’A
in the partial fulfilment of curriculum of CENTRAL
BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION(CBSE) in the
year of 2023-2024.
This project is genuine and does not indulge in
plagiarism of any kind.
Internal signature External Signature
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It gives me great pleasure to express my gratitude
towards our Physics teacher Mr. MD ZAHID for her
guidance, support and encouragement throughout the
duration of the project on the topic 'To study the
earth's magnetic field using a compass needle-bar
magnet by plotting magnetic field lines and tangent
galvanometer'.
Then I would like to thank my parents and friends who
have helped me with their valuable suggestions and
guidance which has been helpful in various phases of
the completion of the project. Without their motivation
and help, the successful completion of this project
would not have been possible. I hope you will like this
project.
Thanking you !
Soumya Ranjan Sahoo
…INDEX…
1. Objective
2. Introduction
3. About The Topic(Tangent galvanometer)
4. Circuit Diagram
5. Experiment
6. Bibliography
OBJECTIVE
● To study the earth's magnetic field using a tangent
galvanometer.
● To find out the horizontal component of earth's
magnetic field (Bh).
INTRODUCTION
Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the
magnetic field that extends from the Earth's interior to where it meets the
solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun. Its
magnitude at the Earth's surface ranges from 25 to 65 microteslas (0.25
to 0.65 gauss). Roughly speaking it is the field of a magnetic dipole
currently tilted at an angle of about 10 degrees with respect to Earth's
rotational axis, as if there were a bar magnet placed at that angle at the
centre of the Earth. Unlike a bar magnet. however. Earth's magnetic field
changes over time because it is generated by a geodynamic (in Earth's
case, the motion of molten iron alloys in its outer core).
The North and South magnetic poles wander widely, but sufficiently
slowly for ordinary compasses to remain useful for navigation. However,
at irregular intervals averaging several hundred thousand years, the
Earth's field reverses and the North and South Magnetic Poles relatively
abruptly switch places. These reversals of the geomagnetic poles leave
a record in rocks that are of value to paleomagnetists in calculating
geomagnetic fields in the past. Such information in turn is helpful in
studying the motions of continents and ocean floors in the process of
plate tectonics.
The magnetosphere is the region above the ionosphere and extends
several tens of thousands of kilometres into space, protecting the Earth
from the charged particles of the solar wind and cosmic rays that would
otherwise strip away the upper atmosphere, including the ozone layer
that protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Earth's magnetic field serves to deflect most of the solar wind, whose
charged particles would otherwise strip away the ozone layer that
protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. One stripping
mechanism is for gas to be caught in bubbles of magnetic field, which
are ripped off by solar winds.
The intensity of the field is often measured in gauss (G), but is generally
reported in nanoteslas (nT), with 1 G 100,000 nT. A nanotesla is also
referred to as a gamma (y). The tesla is the SI unit of the Magnetic field,
B. The field ranges between approximately 25.000 and 65,000 nT
(0.25-0.65 G).
Near the surface of the Earth, its magnetic field can be closely
approximated by the field of a magnetic dipole positioned at the centre of
the Earth and tilted at an angle of about 10° with respect to the rotational
axis of the Earth. The dipole is roughly equivalent to a powerful bar
magnet, with its South Pole pointing towards the geomagnetic North
Pole. The north pole of a magnet is so defined because, if allowed to
rotate freely, it points roughly northward (in the geographic sense). Since
the north pole of a magnet attracts the south poles of other magnets and
repels the north poles, it must be attracted to the south pole.
ABOUT THE TOPIC
(Tangent Galvanometer)
A tangent galvanometer is an early measuring instrument used for
the measurement of electric current. It works by using a compass
needle to compare a magnetic field generated by the unknown
current to the magnetic field of the Earth. It gets its name from its
operating principle, the tangent law of magnetism, which states that
the tangent of the angle a compass needle makes is proportional to
the ratio of the strengths of the two perpendicular magnetic fields. It
was first described by Claude Pouillet in 1837.
A tangent galvanometer consists of a coil of insulated copper wire
wound on a circular non-magnetic frame. The frame is mounted
vertically on a horizontal base provided with levelling screws. The
coil can be rotated on a vertical axis passing through its centre. A
compass box is mounted horizontally at the centre of a circular
scale. It consists of a tiny, powerful magnetic needle pivoted at the
centre of the coil. The magnetic needle is free to rotate in the
horizontal plane. The circular scale is divided into four quadrants.
Each quadrant is graduated from 0 to 90°. A long thin aluminium
pointer is attached to the needle at its centre and at right angle to it.
To avoid errors due to parallax, a plane mirror is mounted below the
compass needle.
In operation, the instrument is first rotated until the magnetic field of
the Earth, indicated by the compass needle, is parallel with the
plane of the coil. Then the unknown current is applied to the coil.
This creates a second magnetic field on the axis of the coil.
perpendicular to the Earth's magnetic field. The compass needle
responds to the vector sum of the two fields, and deflects to an
angle equal to the tangent of the ratio of the two fields. From the
angle read from the compass's scale, the current could be found
from a table.121 The current supply wires have to be wound in a
small helix, like a pig's tail, otherwise the field due to the wire will
affect the compass needle and an incorrect reading will be
obtained. A tangent galvanometer can also be used to measure the
magnitude of the horizontal component of the geomagnetic field.
When used in this way, a low-voltage power source, such as a
battery, is connected in series with a rheostat, the galvanometer,
and ammeter. The galvanometer is first aligned so that the coil is
parallel to the geomagnetic field, whose direction is indicated by the
compass when there is no current through the coils. The battery is
then connected and the rheostat is adjusted until the compass
needle deflects 45 degrees from the geomagnetic field, indicating
that the magnitude of the magnetic field at the centre of the coil is
the same as that of the horizontal component of the geomagnetic
field. This field strength can be calculated from the current as
measured by the ammeter, the number of turns of the coil, and the
radius of the coils.
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
When a bar magnet is suspended in two magnetic fields B and Bh, it
comes to rest making an angle θ with the direction of Bh.
From Figure, B = Bh tanθ. This is known as tangent law of magnetism.
If θ is the deflection of the needle, then according to tangent law,
B = Bh tanθ ———> (1)
Let I be the current passing through the coil of radius a with n turns, then
the magnetic field generated by the current carrying coil is,
B = µ0nI/2a ———> (2) (a is the radius of the coil)
Equating (1) and (2), we get,
Bh tanθ = µ0nI/2a ———> (3)
2aBh/µ0n = I/tanθ ———> (4)
The left hand side of equation (4) is a constant and is called the
reduction factor K of the given Tangent Galvanometer.
K = I/tanθ ———> (5)
Now from the equation (3) & (5), the horizontal intensity of Earth’s
magnetic field Bh is,
Bh = µ0nK/2a ———> (6)
Application
● Tangent Galvanometer can be used to measure the magnitude of
the horizontal component of the geomagnetic field.
● The principle can be used to compare the galvanometer constants
. EXPERIMENT
Aim:
1. To determine the reduction factor of the given tangent
galvanometer (K).
2. To find out the horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field (Bh).
Apparatus :
Tangent galvanometer (TG), commutator (C), rheostat (R), battery (E),
ammeter (A), key (k), connecting wires, metre scale etc.
Principle & Formulae:
● The reduction factor of T.G is K=I/tanθ, where I is the current
flowing through the T.G which produces the deflection θ.
● The horizontal intensity of Earth’s magnetic field at a place. Bh =
µ0nK/2r, where n is the number of turns of the coil, µ0 = 4π×10-7
NA-2 is the permeability of free space, K is the reduction factor of
the T.G and r is the radius of the coil of the T.G.
Procedure:
1. Make the connection as shown in the figure given below, where K
is the key, E the battery, A the ammeter, R the rheostat, C the
commutator, and T.G the tangent galvanometer. The commutator
can reverse the current through the T.G coil without changing the
current in the rest of the circuit. Taking the average of the resulting
two readings for deflection averages out, any small error in
positioning the TG coil relative to the earth’s magnetic field Bh .
2. The circuit is made as shown in the diagram. The plane of the coil
is made vertical by adjusting the levelling screws. The plane of the
coil is made by adjusting the levelling screws. The plane of the coil
is made parallel to (90-90) in the compass box. The whole T.G is
rotated to read (0-0) at the ends of the aluminium pointer. Now the
plane of the coil is in the magnetic meridian.
3. By varying the current the experiment is repeated. Using a string
the circumference of the coil is measured. Hence its radius r is
found. Let n be the number of turns of the coil. The horizontal
intensity at the place is given by, Bh = µ0nK/2r.
Observation table:
Table 1: For variation of θ with I.
Mean K = 0.19682
● The reduction factor of TH = 0.19682
● Number of turns of the coil = 50
● Circumference of the coil (S) = 2π= 50.49 cm
TABLE 2: For radius of tangent galvanometer.
Mean radius of coil R= 8.04x10^-2
Horizontal Intensity at the place Bh = µ0nK/2r
= 2πnK×10-7/r = 7.6867×10-8 T
For different values of current I, deflections are noted and values are
calculated. Knowing K, n and r the value of horizontal intensity Bh can
be calculated.
Graph:
From the graph,
Slope of the straight line = BC/AC
m = tanθ / I ——————⟩ (1)
Now, substitute (1) in formula = μ0 2πN/4π RH
Then, H = 7.6867×10^-5 T
Results:
1. The reduction factor of T.G, K = 0.19682 A
2. 2. Horizontal Intensity at the place, Bh = 7.6867×10^-5 T
Conclusion:
Experiment in tangent galvanometer gives the reduction factor of
galvanometer and horizontal intensity of Earth’s magnetic field.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
● Illustrative Oxford Book
● http://en.wikipedia.org
● Comprehensive Practical Physics
● www.wisegeek.com
● www.britannica.com
● www.amrita.edu
