RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL,

SANPADA

Physics Project
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Name : Mst. Shreejit Nikam

Class / Division : 12th-F

Roll no : 32

Topic : To study the earth's magnetic field

using a compass needle -bar magnet
by plotting magnetic field lines and
tangent galvanometer.

Date of Submission :

Teacher’s Name : Mrs. Uma Maheshwari

Teacher’s Remark :

Teacher’s Signature :

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 Certificate
This is to certify that Mst. Shreejit Nikam, a student of
class XII- F, has successfully completed 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.” under the guidance of Mrs. Uma
Maheshwari Ma’am.

This project is genuine and does not involve any

plagiarism of any kind. References taken in making this
project have been declared at the end of the report.

External signature: Internal Signature:

Principal’s Signature School Stamp:

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my special gratitude to our
Principal Ma'am Mrs. Rajini Nair of Ryan International
School, Sanpada for always encouraging us to excel
in all that we do.

I would like to thank my teacher Ms. Neelam Prasad

Ma'am for her continuous encouragement and
immense motivation which sustain my efforts at all
stages of this project.

Lastly, I would like to thank my family and friends for

helping me in the completion of this project.

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 Index

Sr.no Topic Pg.no

1. Introduction 7

2. About the topic 11

3. Circuit Diagram 14

4. Experiment 16

5. Observation Table 18

6. Bibliography 20

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 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 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.

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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).

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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.

Earth's magnetic field deflects most of the solar wind, whose charged particles
would otherwise strip away the ozone layer that protects the Earth from harmful

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ultraviolet radiation. One stripping mechanism is for gas to be caught in bubbles of
the magnetic field, which are ripped off by solar winds. Calculations of the loss of
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere of Mars, resulting from scavenging of ions by
the solar wind, indicate that the dissipation of the magnetic field of Mars caused a
near total loss of its atmosphere.

The study of the past magnetic field of the Earth is known as paleomagnetism. The
polarity of the Earth's magnetic field is recorded in igneous rocks, and reversals of
the field are thus detectable as "stripes" centered on mid-ocean ridges where
the sea floor is spreading, while the stability of the geomagnetic poles between
reversals has allowed paleomagnetism to track the past motion of continents.
Reversals also provide the basis for magneto stratigraphy, a way of dating rocks
and sediments. The field also magnetizes the crust, and magnetic anomalies can be
used to search for deposits of metal ores.

Humans have used compasses for direction finding since the 11th century A.D. and
for navigation since the 12th century. Although the magnetic declination does shift
with time, this wandering is slow enough that a simple compass can remain useful
for navigation. Using magnetoreception, various other organisms, ranging from
some types of bacteria to pigeons, use the Earth's magnetic field for orientation and
navigation.

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 About The Topic

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 Johan Jakob Nervander in 1834.

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 center. A compass box is mounted horizontally at the center of a
circular scale. It consists of a tiny, powerful magnetic needle pivoted at the center
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 aluminum pointer is attached to the needle at its center 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

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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. 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.

An1850 Pouillet Tangent

Galvanometer on display at Musée
d'histoire des sciences de la Ville de
Genève.

Tangent galvanometer made by J. H.

Bunnell Co. around 1890.

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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.

Diagram of Tangent Galvanometer

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 Circuit Diagram

When a bar magnet is suspended into two magnetic fields B and B0 , it comes to
rest making an angle 𝜃 with the direction of B0 .

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From the above figure, B= B0 tan 𝜃 . This is known as tangent law of magnetism.
If 𝜃 is the deflection of the needle, then according to the tangent law:

B= B₀ tan 𝜃 (1)

Let I be the current passing through the coil radius with n turns, then the
magnetic field generated by the current carrying coil is,

𝜇₀nI
B= (2) [a is the radius of the coil]
2𝑎

Equating (1) & (2) we get

𝜇₀nI
B₀ tan 𝜃 = (3)
2𝑎

2𝑎𝐵₀ 𝐼
= (4)
𝜇₀𝑛 tan 𝜃

The left-hand side of equation (4) is a constant and is called the reduction
factor K of given Tangent Galvanometer.
𝐼
K= (5)
tan 𝜃

Now from the equation (3) and (5), the horizontal intensity of earth’s
magnetic field B0 is,

𝜇₀nK
B0=
2𝑎

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 Experiment
Aim:

 To determine the reduction factor of tangent galvanometer.

 To find the horizontal intensity of Earth’s magnetic field.

Apparatus:
Accumulator, Rheostat, Ammeter, Commutator, Tangent Galvanometer

Rheostat

Ammeter

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Procedure:
 The circuit is made as shown in the diagram. The plane of the coil is made
vertical by adjusting the leveling screws. The plane of the coil is made by
adjusting the leveling 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 aluminum pointer. Now the plane of the coil is in the magnetic meridian.

 The Commutator keys are put. The rheostat should be adjusted for deflection
in T.G between 10 and 60. For a current I, the deflections of the pointer 𝜃 1 &
𝜃 2 are noted. The Commutator is reversed. The deflections of the pointer 𝜃 3
& 𝜃 4 are noted. The average of the four readings is the deflection 𝜃. From
the theory of the T.G, I=K tan 𝜃.

 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
𝜇₀nK
by B0 =
2𝑟

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 Observation Table

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Mean K= 1.95
The reduction factor of T.G= 1.95 A
Number of turns of the coil= 2
Circumference of the coil (S)= 2𝜋r = 49 × 102 m
𝑆 49
Radius of the coil r = = × 102 m
2𝜋 2𝜋

𝜇₀nK
Horizontal Intensity at the place B0 =
2𝑟
𝜇₀n 𝐼
= ×
2𝑟 tan 𝜃

= 3.138 × 105 T

For different values of current I, deflections are noted and values are calculated.
Knowing K, n and r the value of horizontal intensity B0 can be calculated.

Result
 The reduction factor of T.G, K = 1.95 A
 Horizontal Intensity at the place, B0 = 3.138 ×10 5 T

Conclusion:
Experiment in tangent galvanometer gives the reduction factor of galvanometer
and horizontal intensity of Earth's magnetic field.

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 Bibliography
 Wikipedia
https://www.wikipedia.org
 Slide share
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/to-study-the-earths-
magnetic-field-using-a-tangent-galvanometer-tangent-
galvanometer/86618260
 Scribd
https://www.scribd.com/document/431150535/Physics-
Investigatory-Project-Class-12-T-docx
 OPhysics
https://ophysics.com

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