2

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Rudrajit Ghosh a student of class 12th of

Udaipur English Medium HS School has submitted a project

report entitled “To Study the Earth’s Magnetic Field using a Tangent

Galvanometer” successfully under my guidance and supervision.

Internal Examiner External Examiner

Principal
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to express mydeep gratitude and sincere thanks to the

Principal, Mrs. Sutapa Sur, Udaipur English Medium HS School for

her encouragement and for all the facilities that she provided for this

project work. I sincerely appreciate this magnanimity by taking me into

her fold for which I shall remain indebted to her. I extend my

hearty thanks to Mr. Tanmoy Deb, physics teacher, who guided me

to the successful completion of this project. I take this opportunity to

express my deep sense of gratitude for his invaluable guidance,

constant encouragement, constructive comments, sympathetic

attitude and immense motivation, which has sustained my efforts at

all stages of this project work.

Rudrajit Ghosh
Class XII
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Index
[Link] Topic Page No
1 Aim 5

2 Introduction 6-10

3 Applications 10

4 Apparatus and Materials required 11-12

5 Theory 13-14

6 Procedure 14-16

7 Observation and Calculation 16-17

8 Graph and Result 17-18

9 Precautions 18

10 Facts 19

11 Bibliography 20
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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

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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.

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.
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The field ranges between approximately 25,000 and 65,000 nT (0.25–0.65

G).

Near the surface of the Earth,itsmagnetic field can be closely approximated

by the field of a magneticdipole positioned at the center of the Earth and
tilted at an angle ofabout10° with respect to the rotational axis of the Earth.
The dipole isroughly equivalent to a powerful bar magnet, with its South
Pole pointingtowards the geomagnetic North Pole. The north pole of a
magnet is sodefined because, if allowed to rotate freely, it points roughly
northward(inthe geographic sense). Since the north pole of a magnet attracts
thesouthpoles of other magnets and repels the north poles, it must be
attractedtotheSouth Pole.
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TANGENT GALVANOMETER
Principle
Thetangent 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.
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• 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
• Tangentgalvanometer is the device which was used to measure
small amounts of electric current.

Construction

• Theworkingoftangent galvanometer is based on the principle of

tangentlawofmagnetism.

• It consistsofacoilof insulated copper wire wound on a circular

non-magnetic frame.
• It is utmostnecessary that the coil wound is done in helical
arrangementotherwise, the field due to the wire will affect the
compass needle,thusinducing 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.
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• 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.

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),
➢

Plug Key
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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,

itcomes 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
4π R

Let H is the horizontal component of earth’s

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magnetic field and the magnetic needle comes to rest at angle 𝜃 with the
direction of H, then according Eq. (1),

𝐻𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 =μ02πIN
4πR

𝐻𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 = 10−72πIN
𝑅

Eq3: 𝐻 =2π×10−7IN
𝑅𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃

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

Eq 4: 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃𝐼 = 𝜇0 2𝜋𝑁
4𝜋 RH

𝜃 and
radius of coil of galvanometer R, deflection be N, the value of H can
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.
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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, [Link]

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).
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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

[Link] Valueofdeflection θ (degree) Mean tan θ

Ammeter Reading (A)
For direct For reverse
current current

θ1 θ2 θ3 θ4 Obs Corrected
1. 35 35 35 35 35 0.70 0.15 0.15
2. 49 47 60 64 53.6 1.36 0.20 0.20
3. 36 36 55 58 46.25 1.04 0.25 0.25
4. 50 50 65 68 58.2 1.61 0.30 0.30
5. 45 45 64 65 53.8 1.37 0.27 0.27
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Table 2. For radius of tangent Galvanometer

[Link]. Inner Outer Mean Mean

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

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

2. 16.16 ×10 −2 16.08 × 10−2 16.12 × 10−2 8.06 × 10−2

3. 16.06 × 10 −2 16.10 × 10 −2 16.08 × 10 −2 8.04 × 10 −2

Mean radius of coil R = 8.04× 10 −2

GRAPH
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Slope of straight line = BC

AC

m = tanθ
I
Now substitute the m in Eq. (4),
m = μ0 2πN
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.
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FACTS
The tangent galvanometer is an early measuring instrument for Current

➢ The magnetic field produced by a circular coil carrying current I is

Proportional to I.
➢The S.I unit of magnetic field is Tesla .
➢The magnitude of horizontal intensity of earth’s magnetic field
is3.5x10⁻⁵
For better result while doing tangent galvanometer experiment, the
deflection should be in between 30o-60o.
The value of μ₀ is 4πx10⁻⁷ NA⁻².
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
➢ TangentGalvanometer (Procedure):Comprehensive
Physics Activities Volume I :Laxmi Publications Pvt Ltd.
➢
TangentGalvanometer (Theory) : Comprehensive
Physics Activities Volume I : Laxmi Publications Pvt Ltd.
➢ TangentGalvanometer (Precautions and Sourcesof error):
Comprehensive
➢ PhysicsActivities Volume I : Laxmi Publications Pvt Ltd.
➢ Galvanometer:
[Link]
Tangent_Galvanometer/Tangent_Galvanometer.html
➢ Galvanometer: Wikipedia, the free
[Link]/wiki/Galvanometer