Index

S no. Content Page No.

1 Certificate
2 Acknowledgement
3 Aim/Objective
4 Introduction
5 About the Topic
Tangent Galvanometer
6 Experiment
7 Observation Table
8 Result
9 Conclusion
10 Bibliography
11 End of Project
OBJECTIVE

 To study the Earth’s Magnetic Field using a Tangent Galvanometer.

 To find out horizontal component of Earth’s Magnetic Field.

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 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 paleomagnetic 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.

Fig 1 Earth’s Magnetic Field

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 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.

Fig 2 Earth’s Magnetic Field with Magnetic Poles

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 Page 11 of 19 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.[2] 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 center 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
 Fig 3 Circuit Diagram
When a bar magnet is suspended in two magnetic fields B and Bh

Fig 4 B-H Curve

APPLICATIONS
 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: To determine the horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field using
Tangent Galvanometer.

APPARATUS REQUIRED:
1. Tangent galvanometer
2. Ammeter
3. Battery or DC power supply
4. Rheostat (variable resistor)
5. Key (switch)
6. Connecting wires

THEORY:
A tangent galvanometer consists of a circular coil of wire mounted vertically so that
the plane of the coil is aligned with the magnetic meridian (the direction of Earth’s
horizontal magnetic field). When a current I flows through the coil ,it produces a
magnetic field B at the center of the coil, which interacts with Earth’s horizontal
magnetic field BH.
If θ is the angle of deflection of the magnetic needle from the direction of Earth’s
magnetic field, then the magnetic field produced by the current B is related to B H as
: tan θ = B/BH
By combining these equations, the horizontal component of Earth’s magnetic field
can be calculated as:
B = μ0nI/2r tan θ
TANGENT GALVANOMETER:

Fig 5 Tangent Galvanometer

PROCEDURE:
1 Set up: Place the tangent galvanometer on a horizontal table and align its plane
along the magnetic meridian using a magnetic compass.
2 Zero Adjustment: Ensure the pointer of the galvanometer needle reads zero
when no current is flowing.
3 Connections: Connect the circuit as follows: battery, key, rheostat, ammeter
and tangent galvanometer in series.
4 Flow of current: close the key to allow current to flow through the circuit.
5 Deflection Measurement: Adjust the rheostat to change the current and observe
the deflection θ on the galvanometer.
6 Current Reading: Record the values of current I (from the ammeter) and the
corresponding angle of deflection θ.
7 Repeat: Repeat the experiment for at least five different values of current and
note the corresponding deflections.

OBSERVATION TABLE:
Record the following observations in a tabular form:
S. no. Current (I) (A) Deflection (θ) tan θ
(degrees)

CALCULATIONS:
1 Calculate tan θ for each angle of deflection θ.
2 Use the formula for BH:
BH = μ0nI/2r tan θ
SAMPLE CALCULATIONS:
Given data:
Number of turns in the coil, n = 50
Radius of the coil, r = 0.1, m (10 cm)
Current I = 0.2 A
Deflection, θ = 30 degrees
1. tan θ = tan 30 degrees = 0.577
2. Magnetic field produced by the coil,
B = μ0nI/2r = 4π x 10-7x 50 x 0.2/ 2 x 0.1
B = 6.28\times 10-6, T]
3. Horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field,
BH = B/tan θ =6.28 x 10-6/ 0.577

B_H = 1.088\ times 10-5, T]

RESULT:

The horizontal component of Earth’s magnetic field BH is found to be:

BH = (average of all calculated values) T

CONCLUSION:
Experiment in tangent galvanometer gives the reduction factor of
galvanometer and horizontal intensity of Earth’s magnetic field.
PRECAUTIONS:
 Ensure the plane of the coil is aligned with the magnetic meridian.
 Avoid vibrations or disturbances to the galvanometer needle.
 Record the deflection on both sides of the scale and take the average.
 Use a low current to avoid overheating the coil

SOURCES OF ERROR:
 Misalignment of the galvanometer with the magnetic meridian
 Inaccurate reading of the deflection angle.
 Parallax errors while noting the ammeter or galvanometer readings.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Wikipedia
Introduction to physical science
NCERT Practical’s