Experimental General Physics for Engineers II

Laboratory Report PHYS 194 fall 2019

Section: L02
Experiment name: Earth magnetic field
Student Tamim Mahmudul Hasan Student ID 201800463
Name:

Group Soulaimene Jaoua Student ID 201805981

partners Ali El Jaam Student ID 201305133

Date Friday, 4 December, 2020

submitted:

Aim of the experiment (1 pt) Graph (20 pts)

Introduction (2pts) Error analysis (35 pts)

Equipment (1pt) Discussion (9 pts)

Procedure (1pt) References (1 pt)

Data, Table of results (30 pts) Others

Report Grade
1. Aim of the experiment
The main objective of this experiment was to determine and measure the horizontal
component of the Earth magnetic field by relating it to a known and seen magnetic component.
(properties of compass angle deviation in a magnetic field of various electric currents I).

2. Theory
The Earth has a magnetic around itself. And its poles are the geometrical North and
South. To determine and measure the horizontal component of this field, we use another field as
a reference, for example, a field of a magnet generated by inductors. The magnitude of this field
is derived as per Biot-Savart law as follows:
μ0 ∋ R2
Bcoil = 3
… (1)where μ =4 π −7 T . m . A−1, n: # of turns of the coil, I: current & R:
0 E
2 2 2
2( x + R )
radius. Then, the field at the centre of the coil where distance xis very close is reduced to:
μ 0 nl
Bcoil = …(2)¿ get an accurate measurement we should calibratethe needle of the compass till
2R
it lies with the plane in parallel. The net effect of the two fields, Earth and generated field, give
us:
Bh=Bcoil cot (θ ) …(3) where we can re-arrange the formula to get a linear relation between the
parameters as follows:
Bh 1 Bh
cot ( θ ) = …( 4)Thus, we get a line with slope = & intersection =0. (0,0)
A I A

3. Procedures
I. Calibrate the needle of the compass to be in the middle of the coil and let the compass
magnet be in the plane of the compass magnet by rotating the coil.
II. Set the current at the values as of the following Table 6.
III. Record the data of the angle of needle deviation with the respective uncertainty.

4. Equipment
 DC Power Supply.
 Compass.
 Coil of copper wires.
 DMM.
 Wires.

5. Geometry of the coil

Radius R of the coil: R=0.100 ±0.001
 Number of turns n of the coil: n=10

Permeability of free space: Tm/A

6. Results

Δ of
θ1 θ2 θ1 θ2 θAvg ΔθAVG Δθ 1/I (A- Δ 1/I cot(θ)
I(A) Δ I (A) 1 cot(θ)
DEG DEG RAD RAD RAD RAD DEG ) (A-1) RAD
RAD

0.4 0.1 52 54 0.91 0.94 0.93 0.02 1 3 1 0.75 0.03

0.5 0.1 56 58 0.98 1.01 0.99 0.02 1 2.0 0.4 0.65 0.02

0.6 0.1 60 64 1.05 1.12 1.08 0.03 1 1.7 0.3 0.53 0.04

0.7 0.1 65 66 1.13 1.15 1.14 0.01 1 1.4 0.2 0.46 0.01

0.8 0.1 68 72 1.19 1.26 1.22 0.03 1 1.3 0.2 0.36 0.04

1
6.1. Uncertainties on and cot()
I

√[
1
()
] √[
2
∂ −1
u
1
[]
I
=
I
∂I
×u [ I ]
¿
I2
×u [ I ]
]
u [ I ] 0.1
¿ 2
¿ 2
=0.63 ≈ 1 A−1
I 0.4

u [ cot ( θ ) ] =
√[ ∂ ( cot ⁡(θ) )
∂θ ]√ 2
×u [ θ ] ¿ [−csc (θ)×u [ θ ] ]
2

u [θ ] 0.02
¿ csc 2 ( θ ) × u [ θ ]¿ 2
= 2 =0.03
sin ( θ ) sin ( 0.93 )
 Cot(θ) vs. 1/I
0.80
0.70 f(x) = 0.31 x + 0.01
R² = 0.98
0.60
0.50
cot(θ)

0.40
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.00
1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6

1/I (A-1)

Graph 1. Plotting cot(θ) vs 1/I

1
6.2. Graph of cot() vs.
I

6.3. Slope, intercept of the graph and their uncertainties

Slope=0.31 ±0.03 A−1 Intercept=0.0± 0.1

6.4. Value of the horizontal component of the earth’s magnetic field B h

μ0 n
Using Eqn. 4 from above, we get a constant A=
2R
4 π × 10−7 ×10
=6.28 ×10 Bh=slope × A¿ 0.31 ×6.28 ×10−5=0.000019 T
−5
A=
2× 0.1
6.5. Uncertainty on Bh.
s μ0n
Since Bh = slope ( s ) × A=
2R

2 2 2 2

√[
s μ0n s μ0 n s μ0 n s μ0 n

u [ B h ]=
∂( )
2R
∂s
×u [ s ] +][
∂
2R
∂ μ0
( )
×u [ μ0 ] ( 0) +
∂
2R
∂n ][ ( )
× u [ n ] (0) +
∂
2R
∂R ][ ( )
×u [ R ] ]
2 2

¿
√[ μ0n
2R ][
×u [ s ] +
sμ 0 n
2
1
×− 2 ×u [ R ]
R ]
 2

√ 2

[
¿ [ 6.28× 10−5 ×0.03 ] + 1.95 × 10−6 ×−

∴ B h=0.000019 ±0.000002 T
1
0.12 ]
× 0.001 =0.000002T

6.6. Comparison with the accepted value.

The magnetic field strength in Doha is = 0.00004± 0.00001 T

Let us compare both values by chi2

( 0.000019−0.00004 )2 |0.000019−0.00004|
χ 2= 2 2
=4.24 ≈ 4> 1%error= =52.5 %
0.000002 +0.00001 0.00004

7. Discussion of the result

The results of the conducted experiment were expected to be the way it came out. The results
were expected to be having a great error. As it is seen in the table and the graph, the data was fit linearly
as R2=0.977. Yet when the result was compared to the actual value of the magnetic field strength in the
local city Doha, Qatar, there was an error of 53% in the result. That was not expected but it occurred
owing to several factors. First of all, the systematic errors played a great role in showing that error in the
final result. Since the errors of the readings from the compass, for example, was 1. Therefore, it was hard
to get an accurate reading. Moreover, the needle was not in a plane level, I mean that the needle was not
showing to same exact reading at the same time on both ends of the needle. Thus, we had to take both
readings and take the average of those readings to get a precise and accurate reading of the angle
deviation due to the magnetic field generated by the current. Additionally, the process of calibrating the
needle to zero level was not accurate since the needle pointed at 2 different readings at the same time.
Therefore we chose of side of the needle to be the assumed correct one and calibrated it.

Also, there was parallax error in reading the compass needle, that is because we had to read it
from above without moving or shaking the apparatus. But of course even though we tried not to move the
apparatus, it was sometimes moved with an accidental touch. In addition, the needle was not constant in
reading for specified currents. Let us not forget the conductors that were used in the experiment. The
conductivity of those wires affected even with little unnoticeable error.

8. References
Young, H. (2013). University Physics with Modern Physics Technology. Harlow, UK: Pearson
Education Limited.
Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics. (2019, Fall). PHYS 194 lab manual. Doha,
Qatar: Qatar University. Retrieved from BlackBoard Learn™ website at
https://elearning.qu.edu.qa/bbcswebdav/pid-2037306-dt-content-rid-
4818237_1/courses/Fall_2019_PHYS194_10236/PHYS-194-New-
Manual_v5%20%281%29.pdf [Accessed on September 24, 2019 00:00 GMT+3]

Finlay, C., Maus, S., Beggan, C., Bondar, T., Chambodut, A., Chernova, T., Chulliat, A.,
Golovkov, V., Hamilton, B., Hamoudi, M., Holme, R., Hulot, G., Kuang, W., Langlais,
B., Lesur, V., Lowes, F., Lühr, H., Macmillan, S., Mandea, M., McLean, S., Manoj, C.,
Menvielle, M., Michaelis, I., Olsen, N., Rauberg, J., Rother, M., Sabaka, T., Tangborn,
A., Tøffner-Clausen, L., Thébault, E., Thomson, A., Wardinski, I., Wei, Z. and Zvereva,
T. (2010). International Geomagnetic Reference Field: the eleventh
generation. Geophysical Journal International, 183(3), pp.1216-1230.

Magnetic Declination. (2019). Magnetic Declination in Doha, Qatar. [online] Available at:

http://www.magnetic-declination.com/Qatar/Ad%20Doha/2148693.html [Accessed 25
Oct. 2019 15:49 GMT+3].