Earth's Magnetic Field Semester 4

Objectives:
➢​ To measure the angle of rotation of a compass needle initially aligned parallel with the
horizontal component of the Earth’s magnetic field (BH) when a second horizontal
magnetic field (BHH) is superimposed with the help of a pair of Helmholtz coils.
➢​ To determine the horizontal component of the Earth’s magnetic field (BH).
➢​ To measure the inclination and vertical component (BV) and calculate the overall
magnitude of the Earth’s magnetic field (B).

Materials/Components required:
★​ Helmholtz coils one pair
★​ DC power supply 0-20 V, 0-5 A (01 No)
★​ Digital multimeter (01 No)
★​ Rheostat 100 Ω (01 No)
★​ Magnetometer (Inclination instrument) (01 No)
★​ Set of safety experiment leads (05 Nos)

Experimental Arrangement:

Figure 1. Experimental setup for the determination of Earth’s Magnetic Field.

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Schematic of the Setup:

Figure 2. The schematic diagram for the determination of Earth’s Magnetic Field.

Theory:
The earth is surrounded by a magnetic field generated by a so-called
geo-dynamo effect. Close to the surface of the earth, this field resembles that of a
magnetic dipole, with field lines emerging from the South Pole of the planet and circling
back towards the North Pole. The angle between the actual magnetic field of the earth
and the horizontal at a given point on the surface is called the inclination. The horizontal
component of the Earth’s field roughly follows a line running between geographical north
and south. Because the earth’s crust exhibits magnetism itself, there are localized
differences that are characterized by the term declination.
This experiment involves measuring the inclination and the absolute magnitude of
the Earth’s magnetic field along with its horizontal and vertical components at the point
where the measurement is made.

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The following relationships apply (Figure 3):

𝐵𝑉 = 𝐵𝐻 . 𝑡𝑎𝑛 α ( 𝑜) (1)

Where,
α = Inclination in degree
𝐵𝐻 = Horizontal component of Earth’s magnetic field in micro Tesla (μT)
𝐵𝑉 = Vertical component of Earth’s magnetic field in micro Tesla (μT)
and
2 2
𝐵= 𝐵𝐻 + 𝐵𝑉 (2)

Where,
𝐵 = Total magnitude of Earth’s magnetic field in micro Tesla (μT)
It is therefore sufficient to determine the values BH and α since the other values
can be calculated.
An additional horizontal magnetic field (BHH), which is perpendicular to BH, is
generated by a pair of Helmholtz coils, and this field causes the compass needle to turn
by an angle β According to Figure 3, the following is then true:
𝐵𝐻𝐻 𝑜
𝐵𝐻
=𝑡𝑎𝑛 (β ) (3)

Where,

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𝐵𝐻𝐻 = Magnetic field generated by the pair of Helmholtz coils in micro Tesla (μT)
β = Deflection angle in degrees
To improve the accuracy, this measurement is carried out for a variety of angles β.
From equation (3), the following can be deduced:
𝑜
𝐵𝐻𝐻 =𝐵𝐻 . 𝑡𝑎𝑛 (β ) (4)
The horizontal component (BH) is equivalent to the gradient of a line through
points plotted on a graph of BHH against tan (βo).
The magnetic field of the Helmholtz coils (BHH) can be determined easily. Inside
the pair of coils, it is highly uniform and is proportional to the current (𝐼) through either of
the coils:
𝐵𝐻𝐻 =𝑘 . 𝐼 (5)
Where,
𝑘 = calibration factor (0.756 mT/A).
𝐼 = Current through the Helmholtz coils in milli Ampere (mA).

Precautions:
●​ Handle the magnetometer with care.
●​ Don't turn the voltage or current adjustment knob to full scale.
●​ Before switching the power supply on or off, make sure the current and voltage
adjustment knobs are turned all the way to the left (minimum position).
●​ Don't let the current on the multimeter exceed 180 mA.
●​ Avoid interference from magnetic fields (e.g., iron objects near the measurement
site) to get accurate results.
●​ Keep the rheostat away from the magnetometer to prevent magnetic interference.
Arrange the setup as shown in Figure 1.

Procedure:
1. Determining the horizontal component of Earth’s magnetic field (BH).
●​ Turn the handwheel on the inclination instrument so that the ring scale and compass
needle are parallel to the work surface(Figure 4). This ensures the compass needle
aligns with the Earth's horizontal magnetic field.
●​ Rotate the inclination instrument at its base until the 0° marking on the ring scale
aligns with the compass needle direction.
●​ Ensure the Helmholtz coils are positioned so that the inclination instrument is
centered between them (Figure 1). The axis of the Helmholtz coils should be
perpendicular to the direction of the compass needle.

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●​ Connect the Helmholtz coils,

digital multimeter, and rheostat in
series to the DC power supply unit
(Figure 1 & 2). To connect the
Helmholtz coils in series, connect
the slots numbered 2 to 2.
●​ For current measurement:
●​ Connect the positive terminal to
the mA slot and the negative
terminal to the COM slot of the
multimeter.
●​ Set the adjusting knob towards
200 mA DC.
●​ Set the rheostat to 100 Ω by
moving the slider to the extreme end opposite the connection slot.
●​ Switch on the DC power supply. Before switching it on, ensure the current and
voltage adjustment knobs are set to the minimum (extreme left).
●​ Do not turn the voltage or current adjustment knob to full scale.
●​ On the power supply (Figure 5), turn the current adjustment knob (1) to the middle
scale. Then slowly increase the voltage
adjustment knob (2) to get a 10°
deflection on the compass needle. Note
the current from the multimeter.
●​ To achieve a 15° deflection on the
compass needle, decrease the resistance
using the rheostat.
●​ Repeat the process until the deflection
angle(β) reaches 70°, in 5° intervals. Note
each value of β and the current (I) (Table
1).
●​ Calculate the magnetic field generated by
the Helmholtz coils(BHH) for all set
currents (I) according to Equation (5).
●​ Plot BHH against tan (βo) and fit a straight
line (Figure 6).
●​ Determine the horizontal component of
Earth’s magnetic field (BH) directly from
the slope of BHH Vs. tan (βo) graph.

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Observations & Calculations:

Table 1. Determination of magnetic field generated by the pair of Helmholtz coils (BHH)
(k= 0.756 mT/A).

Deflection
Current I BHH = k.I
S.No. angle β Tan β
(mA) (μT)
(degree)

1 10

2 15

. .

. .

13 70

Slope of tan β - BHH graph = ..........±………. μT

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2. Determining the vertical component of Earth’s magnetic field (Bv).

Procedure:
●​ Ensure the DC power supply is switched off.
●​ Remove the inclination instrument from the Helmholtz coil and place it on the
experimental bench away from the coil.
●​ Turn the handwheel on the inclination instrument so that the plane of the ring scale
and the compass needle are parallel to the work surface(Figure 4).
●​ Align the 0° marking on the ring scale with the direction of the compass needle.
●​ Turn the handwheel on the inclination instrument so that the plane of the ring scale
and the compass needle are perpendicular to the work surface (Figure 7).
●​ Wait until the compass needle is steady.
●​ Record the inclination angle (α1) on the ring scale of the inclination instrument.
●​ Rotate the inclination instrument by 180° using the handwheel. Wait until the compass
needle is steady.
●​ Record the inclination angle (α2) on the ring scale of the inclination instrument.
●​ Determine the inclination angle (α) from the average of the two measured values (α1
and α2) (Table 2).
●​ Determine the vertical component of Earth’s magnetic field (Bv) using equation (1).
●​ Note that the value of the vertical component may be affected by perturbing
magnetic fields (e.g., pieces of iron near the measuring site).

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Observations & Calculations:

Table 2. Determination of inclination angle (α).

α1 + α2
S.No. α1 α2 α = 2
(degree) (degree)
(degree)

3. Determine the overall magnitude of Earth’s magnetic field (B).

●​ Determine the overall magnitude of the Earth’s magnetic field (B) with the aid of
Equation (2).

Results & Inference:

From the Experiment:
The Horizontal component of Earth’s Magnetic Field (BH) = ........ ± ........ μT
Inclination angle (α) = ........ degree
The Vertical component of Earth’s Magnetic Field (BV) = ........ μT
The Overall magnitude of Earth’s magnetic field (B) = ........ μT

*Include your own inferences from the experiment.

Standard values at IISER Tirupati, Yerpedu:

The horizontal component of Earth’s Magnetic Field (BH) = 40.38 μT

Inclination angle (α) = 160 53’ 25”
The vertical component of Earth’s Magnetic Field (BV) = 12.26 μT
The overall magnitude of Earth’s magnetic field (B) = 42.20 μT

References:
●​ Halliday, David. and Robert Resnick. Fundamentals of Physics Extended. New York:
Wiley, 2000.
●​ Conceptual Physics, Paul G Hewitt, 10th Edition 469-470

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