VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA
ANNEXURE
PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT
ACADEMIC YEAR : 2025-2026
TOPIC: To study earth's magnetic field using a
compass needle bar magnet by plotting magnetic
field lines and tangent galvanometer.
PREPARED BY
NAME: KEERTHISHA.S
CLASS & SEC: 12 B
DATE OF SUBMISSION:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In the accomplishment of this project successfully, many people
have bestowed their blessings and heart pledged support up on
me, I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all, who
have been instrumental in the successful completion of this
project.
Primarily, I express my deep sense of gratitude to the luminary,
The Principal, Senior principal and SR.HM for providing
the best of facilities and environment to bring out innovation
and spirit of inquiry through this venture.
I am deeply indebted to my teacher Mrs.Prathyusha, without
whose constructive feedback, this project would not have been
successful. The valuable advice and suggestions for correction,
modifications and improvement did enhance the quality of the
task.
I would also like to thank my parents, friends and all the
members who contributed to this project was vital for the
success of the project.
I am grateful for their constant support and help.
VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA
ANNEXURE
NAME : BATCH NO :
CLASS : REGD.NO. :
CERTIFICATE
Teacher-In-Charge
Submitted for the Practical Examination in
at held on
INTERNAL EXAMINERS EXTERNAL EXAMINERS
Index
S.no Contents
1 Certificate
2 Acknowledgement
3 Overview
●Tangent Galvanometer
●Construction
●Working
●Procedure followed in the experiment
●Diagram
●Applications
4 Aim and apparatus
5 Theory
●Uses
6 Procedure
7 Observations
●Graph
8 Result
●Facts
9 Precautions
10 Sources of error
11 Bibliography
Overview:
Tangent galvanometer:
● It is an example of a moving magnet galvanometer.
● The basic principle of this instrument is the action of
electric current on a magnet.
● It works on the tangent law of magnetism, i.e., I∝tanθ.
● The instrument consists of a coil of insulated copper
wire and a magnetic needle.
● It requires the magnetic field of the Earth for its
operation.
● The coil is placed in the magnetic meridian so that the
magnetic needle experiences torque due to both the
Earth's field and the field due to the current.
● Calibration is essential to ensure accuracy in measurement.
Construction:
● Consists of a circular coil with multiple turns of
insulated copper wire.
● A magnetic needle is placed at the center on a pivot, free
to rotate in the horizontal plane.
● A non-magnetic, graduated scale is used to measure the
deflection angle.
Working:
● When current flows through the coil, it produces a
magnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the coil.
● The magnetic needle deflects under the influence of the
net magnetic field.
● The angle of deflection is used to calculate the current
using the tangent law.
Procedure followed in the experiment:
● In the first part, a bar magnet is placed on a sheet, and a
compass needle is used to trace magnetic field lines
around it. This visually represents the direction and
shape of the magnetic field.
● In the second part, a tangent galvanometer is aligned in
the magnetic meridian. When a known current passes
through it, the needle deflects. This deflection angle is
used to calculate the Earth’s horizontal magnetic field
BH.
Diagram:
Applications:
● Understanding Earth's magnetic field helps in the use
and calibration of compasses.
● Essential for navigation in aviation, marine travel, and
hiking, especially when GPS is unavailable.
● Fault detection in electrical systems.
● Helps in environmental monitoring.
● Research on Earth’s magnetosphere and how it affects
satellites and power grids.
●The tangent galvanometer is an early measuring
instrument for current.
Aim:
. To study earth's magnetic field using a compass needle
bar magnet by plotting magnetic field lines and tangent
galvanometer.
Apparatus:
● Tangent galvanometer (TG)
● Commutator(C)
● Rheostat(R)
● Battery (E)
● Ammeter (A)
● Key(K)
Tangent galvanometer Battery Eliminator
Rheostat Ammeter
Theory:
● Tangent galvanometer is used for small electric currents.
● It consists of a coil of insulated copper wire, wound on a
circular non magnetic frame.
● When current (I) is passed through the circular coil,a
magnetic field is produced at the centre of the coil in a
direction perpendicular to the plane of the coil.
● Its working is based on the principle of tangent law of
magnetism.
● Tangent law of magnetism: It is stated as when a
magnet is suspended between two mutually
perpendicular uniform magnetic fields (B and BH), will
come to rest in the direction of the resultant of the two
fields.
[BH - horizontal component of earth magnetic field.]
tan θ=B/BH , B=BHtan θ⇒Equation 1
● Let the radius and number of turns in the coil be ‘a’ and
‘n’ respectively.
B=µ₀nI/2a ⇒Equation 2
By equating equation 1 and 2,
µ₀nI/2a=BHtan θ ⇒µ₀2πnI/4 πa
● The horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field can
be determined as,
BH=µ₀2πnI/4πa.tan θ⇒Equation 3
Uses:
● 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.
Procedure:
● Connect the circuit as:
Battery→Rheostat→Key→Tangent Galvanometer→Back to
Battery
● The commutator can reverse the current through the
TG 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 TG coil relative to the earth’s
magnetic field BH.
Procedure for performing
experiment:
1.Make the circuit connections in accordance with the
circuit diagram.
2.The circular coil is rotated so that its plane is in the
magnetic meridian i.e along the north-south direction.
3.The plane of the coil is made vertical by adjusting the
leveling screws. The compass box alone is rotated so
that the 90-90 line in the compass box is in the plane of
the coil.
4.The TG as a whole is rotated till the Aluminium pointer
reads 0-0.
5.Note down the number of turns in the coil.A suitable
current is allowed to pass through the coil.Note down
the current as well as the deflection in T.G.
6.Reverse the current in the coil of the galvanometer and
again record the current and deflection of the needle.
7.Repeat the procedure for different values of current.Plot
the graph.
8.Measure the radius of the coil from its perimeter by
using a thread and rotating it around the round circle.
Observations:
Table 1: For variation of θ with I
Table 2: For radius of tangent galvanometer
S.no Inner Outer Mean Mean
diameter diameter diameter radius(cm)
d1(cm) d2 (cm) (d)
1. 16×10-2 16.4×10-2 16.2×10-2 8.1×10-2
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=8.04×10-2cm
Graph:
Slope of straight line = CB/AB
m = tan θ/I
From equation 3, m = µ₀2πn/4πaBH
Then, BH = 7.6867×10-8T
Result:
Horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field,by using a
tangent galvanometer (BH) = 7.6867×10-8 T
Facts:
● 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 is 3.5x10⁻⁵ T.
● For better results while doing the tangent galvanometer
experiment, the deflection should be in between 30°-60°.
● The value of µ₀ = 4πx10⁻⁷ NA⁻².
Precautions:
● The battery should be freshly charged.
● The magnetic needle should swing freely in the
horizontal plane.
● The plane of the coil must be set in magnetic meridian.
● There should be no parallax in noting down the readings
of ammeter and deflection.
● All the readings should be adjusted between 30° and
60°.
Sources of error:
● There may be magnetic material around the apparatus.
● The plane of the coil will not be exactly in the magnetic
meridian.
Bibliography:
● www.google.com.
● www.wikipedia.org.
● NCERT class 12 physics textbook.
