2017-2018

PHYSICS PROJECT

ON

“TO STUDY EARTH’S MAGNETIC FIELD USING

TANGENT GALVANOMETER”

SUBMITTED BY:

P.BHARATH
 Certificate

This is to certify that the project work titled ………………………………………….

……………………………………………………….............is record of original work

done by ………….…… with registration number …………... under my
supervision and guidance.

The Principal Teacher in charge

Submitted for Practical Examination held on ____________________

Internal Examiner External Examiner

Acknowledgement
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our principal
Mr.Hemant Kumar Rai , our Vice-Prinvipal Mr.K.S.Ravi for helping
us with providing all the equipments for the project work and for moral
support. And also to my Physics Teacher Mr.Shanmugan for giving us
the wounderful opportunity to do a case study and providing vital
support, guidance and encouragement throughout the project. Without
his motivation and help, the successful completion of this project would
not be possible.
Secondly I would also like to thank my friends who helped me a lot in
finalizing this project within the limited time frame.
 Contents
*Overview
*Aim of the Project
*Apparatus and Materials required
*Theory
*Procedure
*Procedure for performing the experiment
*Observation
*Graph
*Result
*Precautions
*Source of error’s
*Applications

OVERVIEW
The tangent galvanometer was first described in an 1837 by Claude-
Servais- Mathias Pouillet, who later employed this sensitive form of
galvanometer to verify Ohm’s law. To use the galvanometer, it is first
set up on a level surface and the coil aligned with the magnetic north-
south direction. This means that the compass needle at the middle of the
coil is parallel with the plane of the coil when it carries no current. The
current to be measured is now sent through the coil, and produces a
magnetic field, perpendicular to the plane of the coil and is directly
proportional to the current.
The magnitude of the magnetic field produced by the coil is
B; the magnitude of the horizontal component the Earth’s magnetic field
is B’. the compass needle aligns itself along the vector sum of B and B’
after rotating through an angle Ø from its original orientation. The
vector diagram shows that tan Ø = B/B’. since the magnetic field of the
Earth is constant, and B depends directly on the current, the current is
thus proportional to the tangent of the angle through which the needle
has turned.

AIM OF THE PROJECT

The aim of the project is to study the Earth’s Magnetic and find its value
(BH) using a tangent galvanometer.
Tangent galvanometer made by Top view of a tangent galvanometer
J.H. BunnellCo.around1890. made about 1950

APPARATUS AND
MATERIALS REQUIRED
* Tangent galvanometer (TG),
* commutator (C),
* rheostat (R),
* battery (E),
* ammeter (A),
* key (k).
TANGENT GALVANOMETER PLUG KEY

BATTERY ELIMINATOR

RHEOSTAT
 THEORY
Tangent galvanometer is an early measuring instrument for small
electric currents. It consists of a coil of insulated copper wire wound on
a circular non-magnetic frame. Its working is based on the principle of
the tangent law of magnetism. When a current is passed through the
circular coil, a magnetic field (B) is produced at the center of the coil in
a direction perpendicular to the plane of the coil.
The working of tangent galvanometer is based on the tangent law.
It is stated as when a magnet is suspended freely in magnetic field F and
H, the magnet comes to rest making an angle θ with the direction H such
that,

F=Htanθ (1)
When a bar magnet is suspended in two magneticbfields B and Bh, it
comes to rest making an angle θ with the directions of Bh.
Let a current I be passed through the coil of radius R, having turns
N. the magnetic field produced at the centre of the coil is,

F= μ02 πIN/4 πR (2)

Let H is the horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field and the
magnetic needle comes to rest at angle θ with the direction of H, then
according Eq.(1),

Htanθ= μ02 πIN/4πR

-17
Htanθ=10 *2πIN/R

-17
H=2π*10 IN/Rtanθ (3)

By substituting the value of current I, from Eq.(3),

Tanθ/I=( μ0/4π)*( 2πN/RH) (4)

Radius of coil of galvanometer R, deflection θ and N, the value of H can

be calculated.
 Procedure
Connections are made as shown in the figure given below, where K is
the key, E is the battery, A is the ammeter, R is the rheostat, C the
commutator, and T.G is the tangent galvanometer. The commutator can
reverse the current through the T.G 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 T.G coil
relative to the earth’s magnetic field H.

PROCEDURE FOR PERFORMING

THE EXPERIMENT
1. Make the circuit connections in accordance with the circuit
diagram.
2. Using spirit level, level the base and the compass needle in
compass box of tangent galvanometer by adjusting the leveling
screw,
 3. Now rotate the coil of the galvanometer about its vertical axis, its
image in the plane mirror fixed at the base of the compass box and
the coil, I.e., all
4. These three lie in the same vertical plane. In this setting,
5. The ends of the aluminium pointer should read zero-zero. If this is
not so, rotate the box without disturbing the position of the coil till
at least one of the ends of the pointer stands at the zero marks.
6. By closing the key K, the current flow in the galvanometer. Read
the both ends of the pointer. Now reverse the direction of current
by using the reversing key. When the mean values of both
deflections shown by the pointer in the two cases(i.e., before and
after reversing the current) differ by more than 10, then turn
slightly the vertical coil until the two values agree. This will set the
plane of the coil exactly in the magnetic meridian.
7. By adjusting the rheostat, bring the deflection in galvanometer
around 450. The deflection should not be outside the range(300-
600).
8. Record the readings of the ammeter and the deflection of the
compass needle in the box shown by two ends of pointer on the
scale.
9. Reverse the current in the coil of galvanometer and again record
the current and deflection of needle.
10. By changing the value of current, take four or more set of
readings and plot the graph between I and tanθ. The graph will be a
straight line.
11. Measure the inner and the outer diameter of the coil with a
half meter scale at least three times.

OBSERVATIONS
1. Range of the ammeter -
2. least count of ammeter -
3. zero error in ammeter -
4. Number of turns used(N) –

TABLE 1. FOR VARIATION OF θ WITH I

s.no Value of deflection θ mean tan θ Ammeter

(degree) reading
(A)
For direct For reverse
current current

θ1 θ2 θ3 θ4 Obs corrected

1. 35 35 35 35 35 0.70 0.15 0.15

2. 49 47 60 64 53.6 1.36 0.20 0.20
3. 36 36 55 58 46.25 1.04 0.25 0.25
4. 50 50 65 68 58.2 1.61 0.30 0.30
5 45 45 64 65 53.8 1.37 0.27 0.27

table 2. for radius of tangent galvanometer

s.no Inner Outer Mean Mean
diameter diameter diameter radius
d1 (cm) (cm) d (cm)

1. 16.0 x 10-2 16.40 x 10-2 16.20 x 10-2 8.10 x 10-2

2. 16.16 x 10-2 16.08 x 10-2 16.12 x 10-2 8.06 x 10-2

3. 16.06 x 10-2 16.10 x 10-2 16.08 x 10-2 8.04 x 10-2

Mean radius of coil R=8.04 x 10-2

GRAPH

Slope of straignt line=BC/AC

m= tanθ /I
 Now substitute the m in Eq.(4),

m=(μ0*2πN)/(4πRH)

Then,
H=7.6867 x 10-8T

Result
The value of earth’s magnetic field by using a tangent galvanometer is

H=7.6867 x 10-8T

Precautions
1. The battery should be freshly charged.
2. The magnetic needle should swing freely in the horizontal plane.
3. The plane of coil must be set in magnetic meridian.
4. There should be no parallax in noting down the readings of
ammeter and deflections.
5. All the readings should be adjusted between 300 and 600.

Sources of error
1. There may a magnetic material around apparatus.
2. The plane of coil will not be exactly in the magnetic meridian.

Applications
1. T.G can be used to measure the magnitude of the horizontal
component of the geomagnetic field.
2. The principle can be used to compare the galvanometer
constants.