GALVANOMETER PHYSICS PROJECT:-

TO STUDY EARTH’S
MAGNETIC FIELD USING
COMPASS NEEDLE-BAR
MAGNET BY PLOTTING
MAGNETIC FIELD LINES
AND TANGENT

By – Parth Ankush Shelke Class – 12 sci

Academic date 2024-2025

School name : Jindal vidya mandir

salav
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
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.

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
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
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.

• 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.

APPLICATION

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.

APPARATUS AND MATERIALS REQUIRED

 Tangent Galvanometer (TG),

 Commutator (C),
 Rheostat (R),
 Battery (E),
 Ammeter (A),
 Key (K)
 Plug Key

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 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 : 𝐹 = μ0 2πIN
4πR
Let H is the horizontal component of earth’s

magnetic field and the magnetic needle comes to rest at angle

𝜃 with the direction of H, then according Eq. (1),
 𝐻𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 =μ0 2πIN
4π R

𝐻𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 = 10−7 2πIN

𝑅

Eq 3 : 𝐻 = 2π×10−7IN
𝑅𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃

by substituting the value of current I, from

eq. (3),

Eq 4: 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 𝐼 = 𝜇0 2𝜋𝑁
4𝜋 RH

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.

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.

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

S.N Value of deflection θ Mean tan θ

O (degree) Ammeter
For Reading (A)
For reverse
direc current
t
curre
nt
θ1 θ3 θ4
θ2 Ob Corr
s ected
1. 35 35 35 35 35 0.70 0.1 0.15
5
2. 49 47 60 64 53. 1.36 0.2 0.20
6 0
3. 36 36 55 58 46. 1.04 0.2 0.25
25 5
4. 50 50 65 68 58. 1.61 0.3 0.30
2 0
5. 45 45 64 65 53. 1.37 0.2 0.27
8 7
Table 2. For radius of tangent Galvanometer

S.N Inner Outer Mean Mean

o. diameter diameter d2 diameter radius
d1 (cm) (cm) d (cm)

1. 16.0 × 10−2 16.40 × 16.20 × 8.10 × 10-2

10−2 10−2
2. 16.16 × 16.08 × 16.12 × 8.06 ×
10−2 10−2 10−2 10−2
3. 16.06 × 16.10 × 16.08 × 8.04 ×
10−2 10−2 10−2 10−2

Mean radius of coil R = 8.04 × 10−2

GRAPH
Slope of straight line = BC
AC
m = tanθ
I
Now substitute the m
in Eq. (4), m =
μ02πN
4π RH

Then, H = = 7.6867 × 10−8 𝑇

RESULT

The value of earth’s magnetic field by using a tangent galvanometer

is
H = 7.6867 × 10−8 𝑇
PRECAUTIONS

1. The battery should be freshly charged.

2. The magnetic needle should swing freely in the horizontal

plane.

3. The plane of coil must be set in magnetic meridian.

4. There should be no parallax in noting down the readings of

ammeter and deflection.

5. All the readings should be adjusted between 30o and 60o.

SOURCES OF ERROR

1. There may a magnetic material around apparatus.

2. The plane of coil will not be exactly in the magnetic
meridian.