2021

PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

TOPIC -
SUBMITTED BY: “TO STUDY EARTH’S
Yash Goel MAGNETIC FIELD USING TANGENT
12B GALVANOMETER”
 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
Mrs. Ritu Sharma, our Vice-Principal Mr.K.S.Ravi for
helping us with providing all the equipment for the project
work and for moral support. And also, to my Physics
Teacher Mr. Kapil Bansal for giving us the wonderful
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.
 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
 introduction

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.
 To find out the horizontal component of Earth’s magnetic field

APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

REQUIRED
* Tangent galvanometer (TG),
* Commutator (C),
* Rheostat (R),
* Battery (E),
* Ammeter (A),
* Key (k).
 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 magnetic fields 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),

 Tan/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 lies in the same vertical plane. In this setting,
5. The ends of the aluminum 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 tan. 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 Straight line=BC/AC

m= tan /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.