AL-HIRA MODEL SCHOOL

PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

TO FIND THE EARTH’S MAGNETIC FIELD USING COMPASS NEEDLE-

BAR BY PLOTTING THE MAGNETIC FIELD LINES AND TANGENT
GALVANOMETER

DONE BY :-
N. MOHAMMED FARHAAN XII B
N. SUHAIL AHMED XII B
 H. ABDUR RAHAMAN KAIF XII B

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Ms. Nithya Kannan

My dedicated physics teacher, whose unwavering support,
Guidance, and encouragement have been instrumental in the
Completion of this project. Her passion for teaching and expertise in
The field of physics have inspired and motivated me to delve deeper
Into the intricacies of projects in this wonderful topic

Furthermore, I am deeply grateful to Ms. Safeena Parveen, our

Esteemed principal, for her constant encouragement and support
Throughout this academic journey. Her commitment to fostering a
Nurturing learning environment has provided me with the opportunity
To explore and expand my knowledge in various areas of study.

Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to my family and friends

For their unwavering support and encouragement. Their
Encouragement and belief in my abilities have been a source of
Strength and motivation throughout this endeavor.
 INDEX

S. No Topic Page no:

1. AIM 01

2. ABSTRACT 02

3. APPLICATIONS 06

4. APPARATUS AND MATERIALS REQUIRED 07

5. THEORY 09

6. PROCEDURE 11

7. OBSERVATION AND CALCULATIONS 13

8. GRAPH AND RESULTS 14

9. PRECAUTIONS 15

10. CONCLUSION 16

11. BIBLIOGRAPHY 17
 AIM

The aim of this project is to study the earth’s magnetic field and find
its value using a tangent galvanometer

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 ABSTRACT

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 Microtel’s
(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 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. 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.
 Page:02
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.
Page:03
TANGENT GALVANOMETER

Principle
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.
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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.
• 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 pivot 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°.
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• A pointer is attached to this needle at right angles, usually made
up Of thin aluminium as aluminium 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 until the magnetic field of earth is
parallel With the plane of coil.
• Then, on application of an unknown 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.

APPLICATIONS

1. T.G. can be used to measure the magnitude of the horizontal

component Of the geomagnetic field.
2. The principle can be used to compare the galvanometer
constants
3. For calibration of secondary instruments.
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APPARATUS AND MATERIALS REQUIRED

> Tangent Galvanometer (TG),

> Commutator (C),
> Rheostat (R),
> Battery (E),
> Ammeter (A),
> Key (K),
Page:07
Page:08
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 circular coil, a Magnetic field (B) is produced at the
centre 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 0 with the direction
H such that,

When a bar magnet is suspended in two Magnetic fields B and Bh,

It comes to rest making an angle 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,

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Let H be the horizontal component Of earth’s magnetic field and the
magnetic needles comes to rest at an angle 0 with the direction of H,
then according to the eqn. (1)

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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.

2. Using spirit level, level the base and the compass needle in
compass Box of tangent galvanometer by adjusting the levelling
screw.
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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 1°,
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 45°. The deflection should not be outside the range (30°-
600).

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.
 Page:12
10 . By changing the value of current, take four or more set of
readings and Plot the graph between I and tan 0. The graph will
be a straight line.

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

OBSERVATION AND CALCULATIONS

Page:13
Page:14

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 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, utilizing a compass needle and a tangent galvanometer

to explore Earth’s magnetic field provides valuable insights into the
nature of magnetism. The experiment effectively demonstrates how
the magnetic field lines interact with the compass needle, allowing for
the visualization of these fields. By plotting these lines and measuring
deflections, one can accurately determine the horizontal component of
Earth’s magnetic field. This hands-on approach not only reinforces
theoretical concepts but also enhances understanding of
electromagnetic principles in real-world applications, showcasing the
intricate relationship between electricity and magnetism.

Citations:
[1] In a tangent galvanometer, the magnetic induction produced by the
... https://www.doubtnut.com/qna/13656878
[2] The Tangent Galvanometer – WebAssign
https://www.webassign.net/question_assets/ketphysvl1/lab_13/manua
l.html
[3] Tangent galvanometer experiment///Homemade Science ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRzef7H2PAM
[4] to study earth’s magnetic field using a tangent galvanometer
https://www.academia.edu/35654318/to_study_earths_magnetic_field
_using_a_tangent_galvanometer
 Page:16
BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Tangent Galvanometer (Procedure):Comprehensive

Physics Activities Volume I:Laxmi Publications Pvt Ltd.

• Tangent Galvanometer (Theory) : Comprehensive

Physics Activities Volume I: Laxmi Publications Pvt Ltd.

• Tangent Galvanometer (Precautions and Sources of error):

Comprehensive
Physics Activities Volume I: Laxmi Publications Pvt Ltd.

• Galvanometer:
Htp://physics.kenyon.cdu/EarlyApparatus/Electrical_Mcasurements/
Tangent_Galvanometer/Tangent_Galvanometer.html

• Galvanometer:
Wikipedia, the free
Encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanometer

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