Index

1. Introduction
2. About the topic
3. Applications
4. Circuit Diagram
5. Aim
6. Apparatus
7. Principle and Formulae
8. Procedure
9. Observation table
10. Calculations
11. Result
12. Conclusion
13. Precautions
14. Sources of Error
15. Bibliography
Introduction
The 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 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.
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 innanoteslas (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 Page 9 of 19 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
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 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 leveling 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 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. 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.
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.

Circuit Diagram
When a bar magnet is suspended in two magnetic fields B and B h, it
comes to rest making an angle θ with the direction of B h

From Figure B = Bh tanθ. This is known as tangent law of magnetism. If θ

is the deflection of the needle, then according to tangent law,

B = Bh tanθ (1)

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

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

Equating (1) and (2), we get,

Bh tanθ = µ0𝑛𝐼/2𝑎 (3)

2aBh/µ0n = 𝐼/𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 (4)

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

Now from the equation (3) & (5), the horizontal intensity of Earth’s
magnetic field Bh is,

Bh = µ0𝑛𝐾/2𝑎 (6)
Aim
• To determine the reduction factor of a tangent galvanometer.

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

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

Principle and Formulae

• The reduction factor of T.G is 𝐾 = 𝐼/𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃, where I is the current
flowing through the T.G which produces the deflection θ.

• The horizontal intensity of Earth’s magnetic field at a place.

• Bh = µ0𝑛𝐾/2𝑟, where n is the number of turns of the coil,
µ0 = 4π×10-7 NA-2 is the permeability of free space, K is the
reduction factor of the T.G and r is the radius of the coil of the T.G.
Procedure
• Connections are made as shown in the figure, 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.
• The magnetic field can be calculated as follows:
1. Make the circuit connections in accordance with the circuit
diagram.
2. Using a spirit level, level the base and 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 of the mirror fixed at
the base of the compass box and the coili.e., all these three lie in
the same vertical plane. In this setting, the ends of aluminum
pointer should read zero-zero. If this is not so, rotatethe box
without disturbing the position of the coil till at least one of the
ends of the pointer stands at the zero mark.
4. Note the number of turns in the coil.
5. A suitable amount of current is passed through the coil.
6. Note down the current as well as the deflection in the TG.
7. Reverse the current and note the deflection again.
8. Repeat for different values of current.
9. Measure the radius of coil from perimeter.
10. By changing the value of current, take four or more set of
reading and plot the graph between I and tan . The graph will be a
straight line.
11. Determine the reduction factor and the horizontal intensity
of Earth’s magnetic field.
Observation Table

Deflection in T.G

Ammeter
Reading K
[Link]. θ1 Θ2 Θ3 θ4 Θ5
=I/tanθ
(A)

1 0.15 35 35 35 35 35 0.2142

2 0.20 49 47 60 64 53.6 0.1474

3 0.25 3 36 55 58 46.25 0.2389

4 0.30 50 50 65 68 58.2 0.1860

5 0.27 45 45 64 65 53.8 0.1976

Mean K = 0.19682
Calculations

The reduction factor of TH = 0.19682

Number of turns of the coil = 50

Circumference of the coil (S) = 2πr = 50.49 cm

Radius of the coil 𝑟 = 𝑆/2𝜋 = 8.04 cm = 8.04×10-2 cm

Horizontal Intensity at the place Bh = µ0𝑛𝐾/2𝑟

= 2πnK×10-7 /r

=7.6867×10-8 T

For different values of current I, deflections are noted and values are
calculated. Knowing K, n and r the value of horizontal intensity B h can be
calculated.
Result
• The reduction factor of T.G, K = 0.19682 A
• Horizontal Intensity at the place, Bh = 7.6867×10-5 T

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

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. All the readings must be adjusted between 30 and 60 degree.
5. There should be no parallax in noting down the reading of
ammeter and deflection.

Sources of Error
1. There may be a magnetic material around the apparatus.
2. The plane of the coil will not be exactly in the magnetic meridian .

Bibliography
• NCERT Practical Book
• Wikipedia
• Illustrative Oxford Book
• [Link]