ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my special thanks of

gratitude to " Mr. Subhamay Guin "

Physics teacher at "DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL "

for their able guidance and support in

completing my project.

I would also like to extend my gratitude to

the Principal Sir "Mr. Arvind Kumar" for

providing me with all the facility that was

required.

SK Naimuddin
pg. 1
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that "SK Naimuddin"

student of class 12 - science" of your

school has successfully completed their

Physics Investigatory Project

on topic "To study the earth’s magnetic

field using a tangent galvanometer"

under the guidance of " Mr. Subhamay

Guin " .

……………

SK Naimuddin

pg. 2
  Aim

 Introduction

 Applications

 Apparatus and Materials required

 Theory

 Procedure

 Observation and Calculation

 Graph and Result

 Precautions

 Facts

 Bibliography

pg. 3
AIM :- The aim of the project is to study the Earth’s
magnetic field and find its value (BH) using a tangent
galvanometer.

Tangent galvanometer

Top view of a
Tangent galvanometer

pg. 4
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 center 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 kilometers 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.
pg. 5
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 (γ). 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
pg. 6
center 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.

TANGENT GALVANOMETER
Principle
pg. 7
The tangent galvanometer works on the principle of tangent law.
Tangent law of Magnetism
 The tangent law of magnetism states that the tangent of the angle
of a compass needle which is due to the movement under the
influence of magnetic field is directly proportional to the ratio of
strengths of two perpendicular magnetic fields.
 In simpler words, the tangent of the angle made by the
moving needle under the magnetic field directly indicates the
strength of the perpendicular magnetic fields.

Definition
 Tangent galvanometer is the device which was used to
measure small amounts of electric current.

Construction
 The working of tangent galvanometer is based on the principle
of tangent law of magnetism.
pg. 8
  It consists of a coil of insulated copper wire wound on a
circular non-magnetic frame.
 It is utmost necessary that the coil wound is done in
helical arrangement otherwise, the field due to the wire will
affect the compass needle, thus inducing an error in the reading.
 This frame is mounted vertically on a horizontal base for
support.
 The coil of insulated copper wire is usually rotated on a vertical
axis passing through its centre.
 A small sized magnetic compass with a powerful magnetic
needle is made to pivote at the centre of this coil, such that it is
free to rotate in a horizontal plane.
 The circular scale is used to read the movement of this
magnetic needle which is divided into four quadrants, each
ranging from 0° to 90°.
 A pointer is attached to this needle at right angles, usually made
up of thin alluminium as alluminium is lighter in mass.
 The usual way of discarding possibilities of parallax is also used
i.e placing of a plane mirror below the compass needle.

Working
 The instrument needle starts moving firstly under the influence
of Earth's magnetic field.
 Movement continues untill the magnetic field of earth is
parallel with the plane of coil.
 Then, on application of an uknown current, a second magnetic
field on the axis of the coil which is perpendicular to the Earth's
magnetic field is created.
 Hence the compass needle responds to the vector sum of the
two fields.
 This deflection angle is equal to the tangent of the ratio of those
two fields.
pg. 9
APPLICATIONS
 T.G. 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.
 For calibration of secondary instruments.

APPARATUS AND MATERIALS REQUIRED

 Tangent Galvanometer
(TG)
 Commutator (C)
 Rheostat (R)
 Battery (E)
 Ammeter (A)
 Key (K)

pg. 10
THEORY
Tangent galvanometer is an early measuring instrument for small
electric currents. It consists of a coil of insulated copper wire wound on
a circular non-magnetic frame. Its working is based on the principle of
the tangent law of magnetism. When a current is passed through the
pg. 11
circular coil, a magnetic field (B) is produced at the center of the
coil in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the coil. The
working of tangent galvanometer is based on the tangent law. It is
stated as when a magnet is suspended freely in magnetic field F and
H, the magnet comes to rest making an angle θ with the direction H
such that,
Eq 1: F = H tan θ

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.
Let a current I be passed through the coil of radius R, having
turns N. Then magnetic field produced at the centre of coil is,

Eq 2 :
pg. 12
the magnetic needle comes to rest at angle 𝜃 with the direction
Let H is the horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field and

of H, then according Eq. (1),

by substituting the value of current I, from eq. (3),

pg. 13
radius of coil of galvanometer R, deflection 𝜃 and N, the value
of H can be calculated.
PROCEDURE
Connections are made 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 T.G coil relative to the earth’s
magnetic field H.
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

PROCEDURE FOR PERFORMING THE EXPERIMENT

1. Make the circuit connections in accordance with the circuit

diagram.
pg. 14
 2. Using spirit level, level the base and the compass needle in
compass box of tangent galvanometer by adjusting the leveling
screw.
3. Now rotate the coil of the galvanometer about its vertical axis, till
the magnetic needle, its image in the plane mirror fixed at the base
of the compass box and the coil, i.e.all
4. These three lie in the same vertical plane.
5. In this setting, the ends of the aluminium pointer should read zero-
zero. If this is not so, rotate the box without disturbing the position
of the coil till at least one of the ends of the pointer stands at the
zero marks.
6. By closing the key K, the current flow in the galvanometer. Read
the both ends of the pointer. Now reverse the direction of current by
using the reversing key. When the mean values of both deflections
shown by the pointer in the two cases (i.e. before and after
reversing the current) differ by more than 1o, then turn slightly the
vertical coil until the two values agree. This will set the plane of the
coil exactly in the magnetic meridian.
7. By adjusting the rheostat, bring the deflection in galvanometer

around 45o.The deflection should not be outside the range (30o-60o).

8. Record the reading of the ammeter and the deflection of the
compass needle in the box shown by two ends of pointer on the
scale.
9. Reverse the current in the coil of galvanometer and again record the
current and deflection of needle.
10. By changing the value of current, take four or more set of readings

and plot the graph between I and tan𝜃. The graph will be a straight
line.

pg. 15
 11. Measure the inner and the outer diameter of the coil with a half
metre scale at least three times.

OBSERVATIONS AND CALCULATIONS

Table 1. For variation of 𝜽 with I

Table 2. For radius of tangent Galvanometer

pg. 16
pg. 17
The value of earth’s magnetic field by using a tangent galvanometer
is H = 7.6867 × 10−8 𝑇

pg. 18
pg. 19
pg. 20