INDEX

SL. NO. CONTENT

1 Certificate
2 Acknowledgement
3 Aim/Objective
4 Introduction
5 About The Topic-
Tangent galvanometer
6 Experiment
7 Observation Table
8 Result
9 Conclusion
10 Bibliography

1
.INTRODUCTION.
Earth behaves like a giant magnet with a magnetic field that
has direction and magnitude. The horizontal component of
Earth’s magnetic field (Bh) can be measured in the laboratory
using a tangent galvanometer and by plotting magnetic field
lines around a bar magnet with a compass needle. A tangent
galvanometer produces a known magnetic field at its centre
when a current flows through its coil; when this field interacts
with Earth’s horizontal field, the compass needle deflects.
Using the relation between coil field and needle deflection, Bh
can be calculated.

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

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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.

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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 (y). The tesla is the

Sl 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

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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

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.ABOUT THE TOPIC.
Tangent Galvanometer
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.

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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. [2]

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.

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 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.

.CIRCUIT DIAGRAM.

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.

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From Figure B = Bh tane. This is known as tangent law of
magnetism.

If e is the deflection of the needle, then according to tangent

law,

B = Bh tane —---------------(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,
Β = μ0nl/2a —-----------------(2) (a is the radius of the coil)

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

Bh tane = μ0nl/2a –--------------------(3)

2aBh/µ0n = I/tane —------------------(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/tane —-------------------(5)

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

Bh = μ0nK/2a —----------------------(6)

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.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.

10
.EXPERIMENT.
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 & Formulae

→The reduction factor of T.G is K=I/tane, where I is the current
flowing through the T.G which produces the deflection 0.

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
The circuit is made as shown in the diagram. The plane of the
coil is made vertical by adjusting the leveling screws. The plane
of the coil is made by adjusting the leveling screws. The plane

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of the coil is made parallel to (90-90) in the compass box. The
whole T.G is rotated to read (0-0) at the ends of the aluminum
pointer. Now the plane of the coil is in the magnetic meridian.

The Commutator keys are put. The rheostat should be adjusted

for deflection in T.G between 10 and 60. For a current I, the
deflections of the pointer 01 & 02 are noted. The Commutator
is reversed. The deflections of the pointer 03 & 04 are noted.
The average of the four readings is the deflection 0. From the
theory of the T.G, I=K tane.

By varying the current the experiment is repeated. Using a

string the circumference of the coil is measured. Hence its
radius r is found. Let n be the number of turns of the coil. The
horizontal intensity at the place is given by, Bh = μ0nK/2r.

Observation Table

Mean K = 0.19682

→The reduction factor of TH = 0.19682

Number of turns of the coil = 50

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

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

Horizontal Intensity at the place Bh = μ0nK/2r

= 2πηΚ×10-7/г

= 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 Bh can be calculated.

Result
1. The reduction factor of T.G, K = 0.19682 A

[Link] 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.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
1- Ncert book

2- Internet website

●​ [Link]

●​ www. [Link]

●​ [Link],.com

●​ www. [Link]

3- Comprehensive Practical Physics Class XII

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