Physics Practicals VII

List of experiments.

1. Determination of Planck’s constant using LEDs –at least 4 different wavelengths.

2. Spectrometer – i – i’ curve.
3. Absolute capacitance of capacitor – BG.
4. Determination of BH – field along the axis of circular coil and vibration magnetometer.
5. Resolving power and Cauchy’s constant – prism – Spectrometer
6. High resistance by leakage – BG.
7. Moment of a bar magnet – Searle’s vibration magnetometer.
8. Calibration of a high range voltmeter – potentiometer (Method2).
Experiment No: 1 Dept no:

Date:

Determination of Planck’s constant

Aim: To evaluate Planck’s constant using LEDs of different wavelengths.

Formula:

When an LED is forward biased, the voltage across the diode remains almost a constant
above knee voltage. The wave length emitted by the diode and the energy of the free electrons
in the device are related as

is the speed of light and is the wavelength emitted.

But, the energy of the electrons is , where is the electron charge and the
voltage drop across the LED which is to be measured. Thus, . ( ).

The experiment is repeated with LEDs of different wavelengths. If a graph is plotted with
reciprocal of the wavelength along the X axis and knee voltage along the Y-axis, a straight line
will be obtained. The slope of the curve is From this, the Planck’s constant is calculated as

( )

Circuit diagram:
 Procedure:

Wire up the circuit as shown in figure. Slowly increase the voltage across the diode until
the diode starts to glow and the milli-ammeter indicates current. Note down the variation of
current with voltage and draw the characteristic curve for each of the diode. Draw the tangent
to the linear part of the curve and extend it to intercept the X – axis.

Repeat the experiment for all the different colors of LED.

Red Yellow Green Blue Violet

Voltage Current Voltage Current Voltage Current Voltage Current Voltage Current
V mA V mA V mA V mA V mA

Model graph:

Draw this graph for all the colors, from which knee voltage for each LED is found.
Observation:

Color Wavelength Knee voltage Vλ ( )

(λ) Å (V) volt
Red 6250

Yellow 5800

Green 5500

Blue 4750

Violet 4250

Mean value of

Model graph:

The slope of the line

The value of Planck’s constant from the graph

Result:

Planck’s constant (by calculation) =

Planck’s constant (from graph) =

Signature of the teacher

Experiment No: 2 Dept No:

Date:

Spectrometer – Curve – refractive index of the prism

Aim: To determine the refractive index of the material of the given prism

Formula:
( )

Angle of the prism

At minimum deviation position, . . Hence,

Procedure:

Initial adjustments of the spectrometer are to be done. Illuminate the slit with sodium
vapor lamp and make the vertical crosswire of the telescope coincide with the image. Fix the
telescope at the position. Release and rotate the Vernier table to read 0 – 1800 and fix it. Now
release the telescope. If is chosen as the angle of incidence, turn it through an angle
and fix it there. For example, if . So
0
turn the telescope through 100 and fix it there.

Mount the prism on the prism table and rotate it so as to get the reflected image to
coincide with the vertical crosswire (as in experiment). Release the telescope and
get the refracted image coincide with the vertical cross wire and fix it there. Note down the
reading. Turn the prism table such that the refracted ray moves to the minimum deviation
position. Continue rotation until it comes back to its original position. Now the angle of
incidence at the incident surface is . Release the telescope and make the vertical crosswire to
coincide with the reflected ray from the incident surface. The difference between this reading
and the direct reading is Now, . Therefore, . Repeat this
procedure for different angles of incidence.
 Angle of
Deviated ray Reflected ray deviation ‘ ’
Observation:

Ver I Ver II Ver I Ver II VI V II

Angle of rotation
Mean

Angle of incidence
MSR vs TR MSR vs TR MSR vsr TR MSR vsr TR
r r

Mean A =
 Plot a graph with . Draw the bisector that intersects the graph at where

So
From this

Calculations:

Result:

The refractive index of the material of the prism is found to be ---------

Signature of the teacher

Experiment No: 3 Dept No:

Date:

Absolute capacitance of a capacitor – BG

Aim: To determine the absolute capacitance of a capacitor using ballistic galvanometer.

Formula:

The capacitance of the given capacitor is

( ) ( ) ( )

Where

Capacitance of the given capacitor in farad

Time period of free oscillations of the BG (s)

Internal resistance of the BG (Ω)

steady deflection of the BG (div) for

corrected throw in the BG for

i) Determination of the resistance of the BG

Procedure:

Make the circuit connections as shown in the diagram. Adjust resistances P & Q such
that P + Q = 10,000 Ω and the deflection is within scale keeping R = 0. Note the steady
deflection to one side. Introduce resistance in R in steps until the deflection in the BG
becomes half its initial value. Note the value of R for half deflection. Bring R back to zero.
Repeat the same procedure for the opposite side by reversing the commutator,

Repeat the experiment by changing P & Q keeping P + Q constant. Find the mean value
of and the mean value of R as .
 Circuit diagram:

Observations:

S No P( Ω) Steady deflection (div) Resistance for

half
deflection
R (Ω)
Left Right Mean (d)

Mean = Mean R = G =
 ii) Determination of the capacitance of the capacitor

Circuit diagram:

Procedure:

Wire up the circuit as shown in the figure using the charge – discharge key. Introduce
suitable resistances in P1 and Q1 such that P1 + Q1 = 10,000 Ω. Charge the capacitor for a known
time say, 10 s. Discharge it through the BG. Note down two consecutive throws to one side as
. Discharge the capacitor fully by shorting its terminals. Reverse the commutator, charge
the capacitor for the same duration and discharge it through the BG as done previously and
note down two consecutive throws to the other side.

Repeat the experiment by varying P1 & Q1 keeping P1 + Q1 constant. Determine the

mean value of . Finally set the BG into free oscillations by removing the external circuitry and
holding the exposed end of the two terminals by hand. Note the time taken for 10 oscillations,
from which the time period of oscillation is found.
Observation:

Throw in the BG (div)

Left Right Mean

throw
Corrected Corrected
throw throw

( ) ( )

Mean =

Calculations:
Result:

The absolute capacitance of the given capacitor is: F

Signature of the teacher

Experiment No: 4 Dept No:

Date:

Field along the axis of a coil – vibration magnetometer

Aim: To calculate the value of the horizontal component of the Earth’s magnetic field.

Formula: The horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field

( ) ( )

Where,

 permeability of free space

 number of turns of the coil

 current in amperes

r  radius of the coil

 distance between center of the coil and magnetometer

n0  natural frequency of vibration of the magnetometer

n1  frequency of vibration in the presence of a magnetic field by the coil

Circuit diagram:

Observation:

Finding n0

Trial Time for 10 Time period T (s) Frequency

oscillations (s) n0 =

Mean n0 =
Finding n1 Ammeter reading

Distance Time for 10 oscillations (s) Period T (s) Frequency

x 10-2m north South mean n1 =
5

11

13

Calculations:
Result:

The horizontal component of the earth’s magnetic field was found to be --------------- tesla

Signature of the teacher

Experiment No: 5 Dept No:

Date:

Dispersive power of a prism – Cauchy’s constants

Aim: To determine the dispersive power of the given prism and to obtain Cauchy’s constants.

Formula:
( )

The refractive index of the prism for a given color λ is

The dispersive power of the prism for two colors of wavelength =

( )

If ‘a’ and ‘b’ are the Cauchy’s constants, then

and

Therefore and
( )

Procedure: The initial adjustments of the spectrometer are done and the slit is illuminated by
the mercury light. The prism is mounted on the prism table with its opaque surface parallel to
the axis of the collimator. The mercury spectrum is seen through the farther refracting surface.
Making the vertical crosswire of the telescope coincide with one of the colors, adjust for
minimum deviation position. Take the reading corresponding to this position in both Ver I and
Ver II. Repeat the procedure for all the colors.

The angle of the prism A is also determined by following the usual procedure.
 Angle of the prism:

reflected image (face I) reflected image (face I)

Ver I Ver II Ver I Ver II Ver I Ver II

MSR vs TR MSR vs TR MSR vsr TR MSR vsr TR

r r
Least count of the spectrometer
 Angle of Mea
Minimum deviation position Direct reading minimum n
deviation ‘D’
Color
Ver I Ver II Ver I Ver II Ver I Ver II

MS vs TR MS vs TR MSR vsr TR MSR vsr TR

R r R r
Dispersive power:

Wave
length ( )

Cauchy’s constants can be evaluated graphically also. When the refractive index µ is plotted
against , we get a straight line. The y – intercept of this line gives the constant ‘a’ and the
slope of the curve, the constant ‘b’. These values can be verified against calculated values of the
same from the experiment.

Calculations:
Results:

The angle of the given prism A =

The mean values Cauchy’s constants are:

i) a=
ii) b=

Signature of the teacher

Experiment No: 6 Dept No:

Date:

High Resistance by leakage using BG

Aim:

To determine the resistance of the given high resistance using BG employing leakage
method.

Formula:

( )

Where R is the high resistance used, are the maximum throw and the throw in the BG
after leakage for a given time through the parallel combination of the capacitor C and the
given high resistance R respectively.

Circuit diagram:
Procedure:

Wire up the circuit as shown in the figure. Keep the key K1 open and charge the
capacitor for a known time say 10 s. and discharge it through the BG immediately. Note the
throw. Discharge the capacitor fully by shorting its terminals. Reverse the commutator and
repeat the procedure. Take the average of the two throws and note it as .

Charge the capacitor again for the same time interval. Close the key K1. Hold the charge
discharge key in the in-between position and allow the capacitor to discharge through the given
high resistance for a time interval After the time t, allow the capacitor to discharge through
the BG by releasing the charge discharge key fully. Note the throw Discharge the capacitor
fully, reverse the commutator and repeat for the other side. Take the average throw as . Vary
the discharge time and repeat the experiment.

Observation:

Capacitance of the capacitor C = -------------- F

Maximum throw to the left (without leakage) = ------------ div

Maximum throw to the right (without leakage) = ------------ div

Mean = ------------ div

Observations:

Sl No Leakage time t s Throw in BG div

Left Right Mean ( )

1 10 s
2 15 s
3 20 s
4 25 s
5 30 s
6 35 s

Mean R = ------------- Ω

Calculations:
Result:

The value of the given high resistance is found to be -------------- Ω

Signature of the teacher

Experiment No: 7 Dept No:

Date:

Magnetic moment of a bar magnet using Searle’s Vibration magnetometer

Aim: To find the magnetic moment of a bar magnet using Vibration Magnetometer

Formula:

( )
( )( )

Where,

n0  natural frequency of the magnetometer in hertz in earth’s magnetic field

frequency of oscillations of the magnetometer in hertz in the combined field.

µ0 permeability of free of free space 

BH  Horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field = 3.8 x 10-5 T

 distance between the center of the magnetometer and the center of the bar magnet
and

is the half length of the magnet used.

Procedure:

Using a compass box, mark out the magnetic meridian of earth. Place Searle’s vibration
magnetometer along this line. Bring a small magnet near the magnetic needle of the
magnetometer and set into vibration in the magnetic field of earth. Observe the time taken for
ten oscillations from which time period and hence frequency of oscillations are calculated.
Repeat the observations.

Now place the given experimental magnet along the magnetic meridian as close to the
vibration magnetometer as possible in such a way that the magnet of the magnetometer and
the experimental magnet are at the same horizontal level. Observe the time period of
oscillations in the combined field (that of earth and the given magnet). If the two fields are
parallel, the resultant field would be the sum of the two and the magnetometer would oscillate
faster. If the fields are antiparallel, the resultant field is the difference between the two and the
magnetometer oscillates slower. If the oscillations are slower, flip the magnet so that the
orientation of its poles is reversed, making sure the resultant field is the sum of the two fields.
Choose various distances between the center of the vibration magnetometer and the given
magnet (make this as small as possible.) and note down the time taken for ten oscillations
keeping the magnet on the north side and south side of the magnetometer in turn. The
orientation of the poles of the magnet should be maintained unchanged throughout the
experiment, irrespective of the position of the magnet with respect to the magnetometer. From
the time period, the frequency of oscillations is to be found.

Observations:

To find n0 in the earth’s field :

S. no Time for 10 Time for one Frequency (n0)

oscillations (s) oscillation (s) hertz

Mean n0 =

To find n in the combined field:

S. Distance Time for 10 oscillations (s) Period of Freq. Mag.

no of the Mag. due Mag. due Mean oscillation moment
mag. north south s Hz
s
(
1 5
2 7

3 9

4 11

5 13

Mean = ------ Am2

Calculations:

Result:

The moment of the given bar magnet using Searle’s vibration magnetometer is found to

be -------------- Am2

Signature of the teacher

 Experiment No 8 Dept No:
Date:
Calibration of high range voltmeter – method II

Aim: To calibrate the high range voltmeter using potentiometer

1. To find the resistance of the potentiometer wire

Formula:

The resistance of the potentiometer wire

Circuit diagram:

Procedure: Wire up the circuit as shown in figure. The positive of the Daniel cell is connected to
point A of the potentiometer. Close the key K and keep R = 0. Press the jockey near point A and
then near point B. If opposite side deflection is obtained, introduce 1Ω in R and determine the
balancing length . Increase R in steps of 1Ω each time noting down the value of . After taking
sufficient number of observation, disconnect the positive of Daniel cell from point A and connect
it to point C. Determine for the same values of R. From this data, calculate the resistance of
the potentiometer wire P using the formula .
 Balancing length
RΩ
AJ =

2. To standardize the potentiometer to read 0.1 V/m

Circuit diagram:
 Instructions: Make circuit connections as given below and introduce 0.08P in the
resistance box. Adjust the rheostat such that the galvanometer shows null deflection. Now
there is 1 V dropped across the potentiometer wire or 0.1 V per meter of the wire.

3. Calibration of high range voltmeter

Circuit diagram:

Procedure: The circuit is made as shown in figure below.

Adjust the rheostat in the secondary circuit to have 1 V in the voltmeter with a range of 1
to 10 V. Since this potential is applied to the series combination of P and Q, the current through
this loop is ( ) ( )

This current would produce a voltage drop across P given by

. This voltage would be balanced by of the potentiometer because it is calibrated to
read 0.1 V/m. Thus in the voltmeter would be balanced by length of the
potentiometer wire.

Now, vary the voltmeter reading and repeat the experiment for the full range of the
voltmeter.
Observation:

Voltmeter Balancing Calculated Correction

reading (volt) length cm value of voltage
= balancing
length in meter
(volt)

Plot the calibration graph with voltmeter reading along X – axis and correction along
Y – axis.

Result:
The given high range potentiometer is calibrated and calibration graph drawn.

Signature of the class teacher