AP+Physics+Lab+Manual Electricity++Magnetism Feb+8,2017
AP+Physics+Lab+Manual Electricity++Magnetism Feb+8,2017
Laboratory Manual
APPC051
Name: …………………………………
Badge #: ……………………………….
Trimester III, 2016/2017
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
“I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore and
diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or prettier
shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered
before me”
Isaac Newton
E xperimental physics is concerned with understanding the theory in a practical way and the
quantitative determination of physical constants, e.g. the gravitational acceleration, thermal
conductivity, resistivity, etc. Some experiments, however, are designed to investigate the
relationships between two or more physical quantities. In every case, accurate and precise
observations are necessary, and these should be taken with an intelligent understanding of the
capabilities of the apparatus provided.
This laboratory manual is designed to serve the practical part of the Advanced Placement
Physics B & C Courses offered by the Physics Department at the Saudi Aramco College
Preparatory Center. In preparing this manual, the following objectives were considered:
o Build the student’s confidence in his ability to make reliable measurements of physical
quantities and interpret relationship between them.
o Teach methods and procedures of experimental physics.
o Familiarize the student with some modern techniques and instruments of measurement.
o Provide the student with the practical background needed for the AP Physics B & C in-
house and external exams.
The manual includes several experiments in mechanics, fluid mechanics, waves & optics,
heat & thermodynamics and electricity & magnetism. Formal laboratory reports are required for
some of the experiments, where the student is given a chance to adapt the research style in
practical work and to avoid the cookbook pattern.
It is recommended that you read the entire description of an experiment before taking the
data so that you will have a clear understanding of what you are trying to do.
mA
V1
R1
12V power supply unit, resistance board (3 resistors), digital multimeters (2),
switch, wires (6: 3R/3B), lamp/switch assembly.
General Note: When constructing an electric circuit, it is common practice to start at one of
the terminals on the power supply unit, connecting resistors/meters with wires until you reach
the other terminal on the power supply unit. In the procedure outlined below, you will start at
the black (negative, -) terminal and work your way round the circuit to the red (positive, +)
terminal. It is equally correct to carry out the procedure, starting from the red terminal.
Procedure
1. Locate the DC output terminals on the power supply unit. Attach a black wire to the black
terminal to the power supply unit. Clip the other end of the black wire to the black COM
terminal of the digital multimeter (DMM). The DMM now works as an ammeter.
2. Select another black wire. Attach it to the yellow mA terminal on the DMM. Clip the other
end of the black wire leading from the DMM to the first resistor terminal on the circuit board.
3. Select a red wire and attach it to the opposite end of the first resistor terminal. Clip the other
end of the red wire on to the switch.
4. Select another red wire and clip one end of it on to the other side of the switch and the other on
to the red terminal of the power supply unit.
5. After steps 1-4, you have now completed a simple series circuit.
6. With the two remaining wires, attach the red wire to the red VΩ terminal of the DMM and the
black wire to the black COM terminal. The DMM now works as a voltmeter.
7. Attach the red wire of the voltmeter to the “positive (+)” side of the resistor and the black wire
to the “negative (−)” side. The voltmeter forms a parallel circuit with the resistor.
8. An illustration of your circuit is drawn in Figure (1.2).
9. After you have checked your circuit, ask your teacher to inspect it. On passing your teacher’s
inspection, proceed to Part B.
DMM voltmeter
DC terminals
R3 R2 R1
switch
resistors
circuit board
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
3.
a) From the graph, what is the mathematical relationship between voltage and current?
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b) What is the current, when the voltmeter reads
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b) What does each slope (gradient) represent?
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5. Does each resistor obey Ohm’s Law? Use data from your graphs to support your answer.
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6. Determine R1 and R2 from the graphs.
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R2: ………………………………………………………………………………………………
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8. On a second sheet of A4 graph paper, plot the voltage-current data in Table 1.2 for the light
bulb. Put the current, I, on the x-axis and the potential difference, V, on the y-axis.
9. Explain the shape of the graph.
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10. Does the electric lamp obey Ohm’s Law over any range in your graph? If so, explain why?
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2. The potential difference (voltage, V) applied across the combination of resistors is the sum
of the potential differences across the individual resistors.
Fig. 2.1.A shows two resistors connected in series to a DC power supply unit. The power supply
unit applies a potential difference, Vapplied, across the two-resistor combination. The single
resistance, Req, is equivalent to the two-resistance series combination in Fig. 2.1.A. Therefore, if
V1, and V2 are potential drops across R1, and R2 respectively,
By definition, resistance R1=V1/I, R2=V2/I. Thus V1=IR1, and V2=IR2. Furthermore, Vapplied=IReq.
Vapplied
Fig. 2.1.A
I
S I
R1 R2
V1 V2
1. The potential difference (voltage), Vapplied, applied across the parallel combination is the
same as the potential difference across each individual resistor.
2. The total current, Itotal, is equal to the sum of the currents through the branches.
Fig. 2.1.B shows two resistors connected in parallel to a DC power supply unit. The power
supply unit applies a potential difference, Vapplied, across the parallel combination. The single
resistance, Req, is equivalent to the three-resistor combination. If Itotal is the total current through
the network and I1, and I2, are the currents in each of the separate branches, then
𝑉 𝑉 𝑉
= + ………. (2)
𝑅𝑒𝑞 𝑅1 𝑅2
1 1 1
= + ………. (3)
𝑅𝑒𝑞 𝑅1 𝑅2
R2
Fig. 2.1.B
I2
1
Vappli I1 Itotal
Itotal
S R1
*Caution
If the easy read meter shows LOW BATTERY, do not use it and inform the teacher
Remember to connect (a) the voltmeter in parallel across the resistors and
(b) the milliammeter in series with the resistors.
One of the digital multimeters will be used as a milliammeter and the other as a voltmeter.
Remember to connect (a) the voltmeter in parallel across the resistors and (b) the
milliammeter in series with the resistors.
Make sure that the correct range for each meter is used.
Procedure
Table 2.1
R1 = 270 R2 = 470
(printed value) (printed value)
Voltage (V) Current (mA) Voltage (V) Current (mA)
0.50 0.50
1.00 1.00
1.50 1.50
2.00 2.00
2.50 2.50
3.00 3.00
R1=_______ R2=_______
(measured value) (measured value)
Table 2.2
Req =__________
(calculated value)
Voltage (V) Current (mA)
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
Req=________
(measured value)
Table 2.4
Req= _______
(calculated value)
Voltage (V) Current (A)
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
Req= ________
(measured value)
Table 2.5
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Determine R1, R2, and Req from the graphs. Record these values in Tables 2.1 and 2.2.
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4. Calculate the percentage error in the measured Req. (Consider the calculated Req as a standard
value.)
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5. What do you conclude from Table 2.3?
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7. Ten bulbs of equal resistance were connected in a circuit in series. When connected to a 120V
power supply, the current through the bulbs was 0.06A.
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PART C
8. Use the data in Table 2.4 to draw the graph of voltage, V, (on the y-axis) versus current, I, (on
the x-axis) on a graph paper.
9. Calculate the slope of the obtained graph.
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10. What does the slope of the graph represent?
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11. Determine Req from the graph. Record the value in Table 2.4.
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13. What do you conclude from Table 2.5?
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15. As more resistors are added in parallel to an existing circuit, what happens to the total current?
Explain your answer.
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16. A 12 resistor and a 15 are connected in parallel and placed across the terminals of a 15.0V
battery.
a) What is the equivalent resistance of the parallel circuit?
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b) What is the current through each branch of the parallel circuit?
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17. How can you make an analogy between the resistors and the spring constants in the mechanics
lab Hooke’s Law?
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A
Fig. (3.1)
The resistivity, , varies with temperature in an approximately linear fashion according to the
equation:
0 1 T T0 ……… (2)
where is the resistivity at any given temperature, T, (in oC), 0 is the resistivity at a reference
temperature, T0 , (usually considered to be 20oC) and is the temperature coefficient of
resistivity, which is assumed to be constant with temperature.
Since the resistance is proportional to the resistivity (equation (1)), the variation of resistance with
temperature can be written as
R R 0 1 T T0 ……… (3)
*Caution:
One of the digital multimeters(HM300) will be used as a milliammeter and the other(Unilab)
as a millivoltmeter.
Remember to connect (a) the voltmeter in parallel across the sample wire and (b) the
milliammeter in series with the sample wire.
Make sure that the correct range in each meter is used.
Start your measurement using the 200mA and 200mV ranges.
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
31
Trimester III, 2016/2017
*
AWG is an abbreviation for the American Wire Gauge
** This board will be used, when studying the effect of the cross-sectional area
***
These boards will be used, when studying the effect of the cross-sectional area.
****
This board will be used when studying the effect of the length
Vapplied
Fig. (3.2)
Resistance
Box
HM300
0-
200mA sample wire
scale
Unilab
0-
200mV
Procedure
In this practical, the effect of four parameters on the resistance of a wire will be investigated, i.e.
the effect of wire material, length, cross-sectional area and temperature..
Effect of Material
1. Set the resistance box to 200.
2. Assemble the electric circuit as shown in Fig. (3.2), starting with the 40cm-Ni/Cr wire (AWG
#24) on the materials board #1. Leave the switch open until the circuit is checked by your lab
instructor.
3. Close the switch and then adjust the power supply so that the digital voltmeter reads 0.020V
(20mV). Record the digital voltmeter (0-200mV scale) and digital milliammeter (0-200mA
scale) readings in Table (3.1).
4. Adjust the voltage using one the following values at a time: 0.030V (30mV), 0.040V (40mV),
0.050 (50mV), 0.060V (60mV) and 0.070V (70mV). Record the corresponding currents in
Table (3.1).
5. Open the switch as soon as the readings are recorded.
6. Move to the 40cm-Cu wire (AWG #24) on the board and repeat steps 3–5.
7. Finally, move to the 40cm-Al wire (AWG #24) and repeat steps 3–5.
2. Only use one of the wires(next to the cm scale) in the 40cm-Ni/Cr wire board #2 (AWG #29)
or as a sample wire and assemble the electric circuit as shown in Fig. (3.2). Leave the switch
open until the circuit is checked by your lab instructor.
3. Clip a 0.05m (5.00cm) length of the sample wire into the circuit.
4. Close the switch and then adjust the power supply so that the digital milllivoltmeter (Unilab)
reads 0.020V (20mV). Record the digital voltmeter (0-200mV scale) and digital
milliammeter(HM300)…(0-200mA scale) readings in Table (3.2).
5. Adjust the voltage one of the following values at a time: 0.030V (30mV), 0.040V (40mV),
0.050 (50mV), 0.060V (60mV) and 0.070V (70mV). Record the corresponding currents in
Table (3.2).
7. Repeat steps 4–6 with lengths of 0.10m, 0.15m, 0.20m, 0.25m, 0.30m and 0.35m.
3. Using the 40cm-Ni/Cr wire board #3 (AWG #22-#26), assemble the electric circuit as shown
in Fig. (3.2), starting with the Ni/Cr wire (AWG #22) as a sample wire. Leave the switch open
until the circuit is checked by your lab instructor.
4. Close the switch and then adjust the power supply so that the digital voltmeter reads 0.020V
(20mV). Record the digital Unilab voltmeter (0-200mV scale) and digital milliammeter,
HM300, (0-200mA scale) readings in Table (3.3).
5. Adjust the voltage using one of the following values at a time: 0.030V (30mV), 0.040V
(40mV), 0.050 (50mV), 0.060V (60mV) and 0.070V (70mV). Record the corresponding
currents in Table (3.3).
7. Repeat steps 3–5 for each of the different wire gauges, (AWG #22, #24, #26)
8. Repeat, using board #4, steps 3-7 for wires: #29, #33, and #35.
2. Assemble the electric circuit as shown in Fig. (3.2), using the 50m-magnet wire coil as a
sample wire. Leave the switch open until the circuit is checked by your lab instructor.
3. Put some crushed ice into a 400ml beaker and place the 50m-magnet wire coil in the crushed
ice.
4. Place a thermometer in the beaker and leave for 5 minutes to reach thermal equilibrium. This
happens when the temperature becomes constant. Record this temperature, T1, in Table (3.4).
5. Close the switch and then adjust the power supply so that the digital voltmeter reads 0.020V
(20mV). Record the digital voltmeter (0-200mV scale) and digital milliammeter (0-200mA
scale) readings in Table (3.4).
6. Adjust the voltage one the following values at a time: 0.030V (30mV), 0.040V (40mV),
0.050(50mV), 0.060V (60mV) and 0.070V (70mV).Record the corresponding currents in
Table (3.4).
10. Remove the magnet coil from the crushed ice bath and dry with paper towels.
11. Put the coil in a 400ml beaker of distilled water at room temperature. Wait for thermal
equilibrium to take place and then measure the temperature, T2.
13. Using two water baths, repeat the experiment at two different temperatures, T3 and T4. Record
the results in Table (3.4).
14. Switch off the water bath as soon as the readings are recorded.
Effect of Material
Ni/Cr wire Cu wire Al wire
V (mV) I (mA) V (mV) I (mA) V (mV) I (mA)
1.00 1.00 1.00
2.00 2.00 2.00
3.00 3.00 3.00
4.00 4.00 4.00
5.00 5.00 5.00
6.00 6.00 6.00
Table 3.2
Table 3.3
Effect of Length
0.05m 0.10m 0.15m 0.20m 0.25m 0.30m 0.35m
V(mV) I(mA) V(mV) I(mA) V(mV) I(mA) V(mV) I(mA) V(mV) I(mA) V(mV) I(mA) V(mV) I(mA)
20 20 20 20 20 20 20
30 30 30 30 30 30 30
40 40 40 40 40 40 40
50 50 50 50 50 50 50
60 60 60 60 60 60 60
70 70 70 70 70 70 70
Table 3.4
20 20 20 20 20 20
30 30 30 30 30 30
40 40 40 40 40 40
50 50 50 50 50 50
60 60 60 60 60 60
70 70 70 70 70 70
Table 3.6
Effect of Temperature
T1 =______ oC T2 =_______ oC T3 =_______ oC T4 =_______ oC
V (mV) I (mA) V (mV) I (mA) V (mV) I (mA) V (mV) I (mA)
20 20 20 20
40 40 40 40
60 60 60 60
80 80 80 80
100 100 100 100
120 120 120 120
When writing the formal lab report, the following points must be taken into consideration:
1. Using the data in Table 3.1, plot all the graphs of voltage, V, (on the y-axis) versus current, I,
(on3.7
Table the x-axis) on the same graph paper.
2. Find the resistance of each wire by calculating the slope of the corresponding graph. From the
length and cross-sectional area calculate the resistivity of each material, Table 3.2.
3. Using the data in Table 3.3, plot all the graphs of voltage, V, versus current, I, on the same
graph paper.
4. Find the resistance of each length of the Ni/Cr wire by calculating the slope of the
corresponding graph. Record the results in Table 3.4.
5. Using Table 3.4, plot a graph of the length, l, versus the resistance, R. State whether the graph
is in agreement with equation (1).
6. Using the data in Table 3.5, plot all the graphs of voltage, V, versus current, I, on the same
graph paper. Find the resistance for each cross-sectional area of the Ni/Cr wires by
calculating the slope of the corresponding graph. Record the results in Table 3.6.
Table 3.8
7. Using Table 3.6, plot a graph of the resistance, R, versus (cross-sectional area, A)-1. State
whether the graph is in agreement with equation (1) and state why you have reached this
conclusion.
8. Using the data in Table 3.7, plot all the graphs of the voltage, V, versus the current, I, on the
same graph paper. Find the resistance of the magnet wire coil at each temperature by
calculating the slope of the corresponding graph. Record the results in Table 3.8.
9. Using Table 3.8, plot a graph of the resistance, R, versus T. State whether the graph is in
agreement with equation (3) and state why you have reached this conclusion. Determine the
temperature coefficient of resistance for copper wire.
E
Internal circuit R
r External circuit
r
The internal resistance, r, of the cell is in series with the variable resistance, R, in the external
circuit. Thus,
Ecell = VR + Vr ………………….……..…1
= VR + Ir …………………..………2
Rearranging equation 2 gives
VR = -Ir + Ecell ……………………………………3
A plot of VR versus I produces a graph similar to the one shown in Figure 2. It is clear in equation
2 and Figure 2 that the slope and y-intercept represent the internal resistance, r, and Ecell,
respectively.
Figure 2 VR
Ecell
Procedure
1. Set up the apparatus according to the circuit diagram drawn in Figure 3. Switch the digital
multimeter (DMM voltmeter) to the 0-2v scale and the DMM to the 0-200mA scale.
2. Set the resistance box to read 30Ω. Insert the battery into the cell holder. Record the readings
on the voltmeter and milliammeter in Table 1.
3. Increase the resistance to 40Ω. Record your data in Table 1.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 for resistances 50Ω, 60Ω, 70Ω, 80Ω, 90Ω and 100Ω.
5. Switch off the multimeters and dismantle the apparatus.
Figure 3
DMM voltmeter
(0-2V scale)
V
Ecell r
DMM milliammeter
(0-200mA scale) mA
resistance box
1. From the data in Table 1, construct a graph of the potential difference across the resistor R,
VR, versus the circuit current, I, on a sheet of A4 graph paper.
2. (a) Write down the value of the y-intercept in the space below.
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(b) What is the emf of the cell? Explain your answer.
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3. (a) Calculate the slope of your graph.
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Objectives:
Measure the time constant () of an RC circuit
Measure the capacitance of a capacitor
Introduction:
A capacitor is a device, which is used to store electric charge. Effectively, all capacitors consist of
a pair of oppositely charged conducting plates separated by an insulator. The capacitance C of any
capacitor is defined to be the ratio of the charge Q on either conductor to the potential difference V
between them:
Q
C (1)
V
t
Q(t ) Qo 1 e RC (2)
RCt
I (t ) I o e (3)
where, Qo = CV is the maximum charge on the capacitor,
Io is the initial (maximum) current in the RC circuit, and
RC = is the time constant for the RC circuit which is a measure of how quickly a
capacitor becomes charged
Q (C) I(A)
I
Qo Io
V
0∙632 Qo
R
S
0.368 Io
+ −
t (s) t (s)
C RC RC
Figure 1 Figure 2
Procedure
1. Set up the RC circuit shown in Figure 3. Do not switch on the power. Leave the switch open.
2. Set the resistance box (variable resistance) to read 20,000Ω. Record this value in Table 1.
3. Set the DMM voltmeter to the 0-20V scale. Set the DMM ammeter to the 0-200μA scale.
4. After you have checked your circuit, ask your teacher to inspect it.
I
Figure 3
V
S R
+ −
μA
5. Plug in and switch on the digital DC supply unit. Set the voltage to read 4·00V on the DMM
voltmeter. Record this value in the Data Section.
6. Clip the crocodile discharge wire on to each side of the capacitor. This will discharge the
capacitor. Unclip after a few seconds.
7. Close the switch and start the stop-clock. Record the highest ammeter reading in Table 1.
Multiply the initial current by 0·368. Enter this value in Table 1.
8. Look at the ammeter. As soon as the reading reaches the value in step 7, record the time in
Table 1 and then open the switch.
9. The procedure in steps 6-8 should be followed for 30,000, 35,000, 40,000, 45,000, 50,000,
55,000 and 60,000Ω.
10. Switch the DC power supply off, unplug it from its socket and then dismantle the circuit.
1. From Table 1, what happens to the time constant for a capacitor circuit as the resistance of that
circuit increases?
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2. Use Table 1 to plot a graph of the time constant (y-axis) versus the resistance (x-axis).
3. What is the relationship between the time constant for a capacitor circuit and the circuit
resistance?
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4. Calculate the slope of the graph constructed in Q. 2. Show your work in the space below.
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6. Using the capacitance indicated on the capacitor as the standard value, calculate the percentage
error in the experimental measurement of C.
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b. what is the time constant for a circuit resistance of 7 × 104Ω?
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Introduction:
The magnetic field, B, at the center of the plane circular coil shown in Fig. 1 is directed into the
paper (by the right-hand rule) and its magnitude is given by I
o NI
B (1)
2r
Where
r B
B: the magnetic field (T)
μo: the permeability of free space (= 4π × 10-7 H/m)
N: the number of turns on the coil
I: the current in the coil (A)
r: the radius of the coil (m)
Fig. 1
The tangent galvanometer in its simplest form consists of a magnetic compass situated horizontally
at the center of a vertical circular coil. If the plane of the coil is aligned to coincide with the
direction of the Earth’s magnetic field, BE, the magnetic field, B, generated by the current will be
perpendicular to BE at that location. When there is a current flowing in the coil, the magnetic
compass will be deflected along the resultant of both fields, Bresultant as shown in Fig. 2. Therefore,
B can be written as
B BE tan (2)
Bresultant
Where θ is the angle of deflection of the compass needle form its position
of rest along BE. Substituting equation (2) in (1) we get B
θ
BE
2rBE
I tan (3) Fig. 2
o N
Tangent Galvanometer
Earth magnetic lines of force -
....parallel to the plane of the coil
N
coil
compass
S magnetic
south
S 5V
Circuit diagram
TG
Procedure - Tangent
Galvanometer
1. Connect up the circuit, as shown in the circuit diagram....uisng the multimeter A(amps) scale
Note.....the tangent galvanometer is connected up to 15 turns of the coil
2. With no current flowing, rotate the tangent galvanometer until the plane of the coil is
aligned(lined up) with the N-S direction of the compass needle...see Fig. 1
3. The pointer end of the compass needle should now show read 0o
4. Set the voltage output on the power supply(blue knob) at a fixed value of 5v.........
do not change this value for the remainder of the experiment
5. Adjust the Resistance Box to about 37 .. Switch on the electrical power supply.
6. Close switch S. Adjust the compass pointer to read 30o...using the Resistance Box to control the
pointer readings(do not move the coil). Use the magnifying glass to check the compass reading.
Note: if the compass reading gives a negative deflection....please reverse the leads to the coil
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7, using different resistance values to produce deflections of 35o, 40o, 45o,
50o, 55o and 60o.
1. What is the relationship between the current, I, and tan θ in equation (3)?
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2. Using Table 1, plot a graph of I versus tan θ.
3. Draw the best linear fit for graph you plotted in 2. What does the slope represent?
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4. Using the slope you obtained in Q3, calculate the magnitude of the Earth’s magnetic field, BE.
Show your work.
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5. Using BE = 5.0 × 10-5 T as a standard value, calculate the percentage error in the Earth’s
magnetic field you obtained in this experiment.
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6. Determine the magnetic field produced by the coil when θ = 45o.
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