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OASIS SAINIK
SCHOOL,
KALIBANGAN

Session 2024-2025
Physics Investigatory Project
Report
Topic :- “To study the common food
adulternant in fat, oil, butter,
sugar, turmeric powder, chilli
powder and black pepper.”
Submitted To :- Submitted
By:-
- MR.bhagirath sharma Grish
sarmal
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(Department of chemistry) (CLASS

XII A)

Certificate
(……………………) (……………………)
EXTERNA
L
INTERNAL EXAMINE
EXAMINER R
This is to certify that Grish Sarmal student of
class XII, OASIS SAINIK SCHOOL, has
completed the project titled “To study the
common food adulternant in fat, oil, butter,
sugar, turmeric powder, chilli powder and
black pepper” During the academic year 2024-
2025 towards partial fulfilment of credit for the
CBSE Physics practical evaluation of AISSCE
2025, and submitted satisfactory report as
compiled in following pages, under my
supervision.

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(..……………………)

PRINCIPAL

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ACKNOWLEDGEM
ENT

I GRISH SARMAL woud like to express my

sincere gratitude to my physics mentor
Mr.Deepak Pandey Sir for his vital support,
guidance and encouragement, without which this
project would not have come forth. I am also very
thankful to Principal Mr. Rakesh Singh Tomar
Sir for his valuable guidance, motivation and
encouragement during completion of project. I
would also like to gratitude to the staff of
Department of Physics at Oasis Sainik School
for their support during the making of the project.

SignaturE of student

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Index
S.N Topic Page No
o
1 Certificate 1

2 Acknowledgement 2

3 Aim of the project 4-5

4 Introduction 6-16

5 Theory 17-23

6 Observation and 24-27

Calculation
7 Precaution 27-28

8 Source of error 28

9 Application 30

10 Bibliography 31

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AIM
The aim of the project is to study
the Earth’s magnetic field and find
its value (BH) using a tangent
galvanometer.

Tangent galvanometer

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Top view of a Tangent

galvanometer

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INTRODUCTION
Earth's magnetic field, also known
as the geomagnetic field, is the
magnetic field that extends from
the Earth's interior to where it
meets the solar wind, a stream of
charged particles emanating from
the Sun. Its magnitude at the
Earth's surface ranges from 25 to 65
microteslas (0.25 to 0.65
gauss).Roughly speaking it is the
field of a magnetic dipole currently
tilted at an angle of about 10
degrees with respect to Earth's
rotational axis, as if there were a
bar magnet placed at that angle at
the center of the Earth. Unlike a bar
magnet, however, Earth's magnetic
field changes over time because it is
generated by a geodynamic (in
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Earth's case, the motion of molten

iron alloys in its outer core).
The North and South magnetic poles
wander widely, but sufficiently
slowly for ordinary compasses to
remain useful for navigation.
However, at irregular intervals
averaging several hundred
thousand years, the Earth's field
reverses and the North and South
Magnetic Poles relatively abruptly
switch places. These reversals of
the geomagnetic poles leave a
record in rocks that are of value to
paleomagnetists in calculating
geomagnetic fields in the past. Such
information in turn is helpful in
studying the motions of continents
and ocean floors in the process of
plate tectonics.

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The magnetosphere is the region

above the ionosphere and extends
several tens of thousands of
kilometers into space, protecting
the Earth from the charged particles
of the solar wind and cosmic rays
that would otherwise strip away the
upper atmosphere, including the
ozone layer that protects the Earth
from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Earth's magnetic field serves to
deflect most of the solar wind,
whose charged particles would
otherwise strip away the ozone
layer that protects the Earth from
harmful ultraviolet radiation. One
stripping mechanism is for gas to be
caught in bubbles of magnetic field,
which are ripped off by solar winds.

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The intensity of the field is often

measured in gauss (G), but is
generally reported in nanoteslas
(nT), with 1 G = 100,000 nT. A
nanotesla is also referred to as a
gamma (γ).The tesla is the SI unit of
the Magnetic field, B.
The field ranges between
approximately 25,000 and 65,000
nT (0.25–0.65 G).

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Near the surface of the Earth, its

magnetic field can be closely
approximated by the field of a
magnetic dipole positioned at the
center of the Earth and tilted at an
angle of about 10° with respect to
the rotational axis of the Earth. The
dipole is roughly equivalent to a
powerful bar magnet, with its South
Pole pointing towards the
geomagnetic North Pole. The north
pole of a magnet is so defined
because, if allowed to rotate freely,
it points roughly northward (in the
geographic sense). Since the north
pole of a magnet attracts the south
poles of other magnets and repels
the north poles, it must be attracted
to the South Pole.

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TANGENT
GALVANOMETER

Principle
The tangent galvanometer works on
the principle of tangent law.

Tangent law of Magnetism

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• The tangent law of magnetism

states that the tangent of the
angle of a compass needle which
is due to the movement under
the influence of magnetic field is
directly proportional to the ratio
of strengths of two
perpendicular magnetic fields.
• In simpler words, the tangent of
the angle made by the moving
needle under the magnetic field
directly indicates the strength of
the perpendicular magnetic
fields.

Definition
• Tangent galvanometer is the
device which was used to
measure small amounts of
electric current.

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Construction
• The working of tangent
galvanometer is based on the
principle of tangent law of
magnetism.
• It consists of a coil of insulated
copper wire wound on a circular
non-magnetic frame.
• It is utmost necessary that the
coil wound is done in helical
arrangement otherwise, the field
due to the wire will affect the
compass needle, thus inducing
an error in the reading.
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• This frame is mounted vertically

on a horizontal base for support.
• The coil of insulated copper wire
is usually rotated on a vertical
axis passing through its centre.
• A small sized magnetic compass
with a powerful magnetic needle
is made to pivote at the centre of
this coil, such that it is free to
rotate in a horizontal plane.
• The circular scale is used to read
the movement of this magnetic
needle which is divided into four
quadrants, each ranging from 0°
to 90°.
• A pointer is attached to this
needle at right angles, usually
made up of thin alluminium as
alluminium is lighter in mass.
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• The usual way of discarding

possibilities of parallax is also
used i.e placing of a plane mirror
below the compass needle.

Working
• The instrument needle starts
moving firstly under the influence
of Earth's magnetic field.
• Movement continues untill the
magnetic field of earth is parallel
with the plane of coil.
• Then, on application of an
uknown current, a second
magnetic field on the axis of the
coil which is perpendicular to the
Earth's magnetic field is created.

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• Hence the compass needle

responds to the vector sum of the
two fields.
• This deflection angle is equal to
the tangent of the ratio of those
two fields.

APPARATUS AND
MATERIALS REQUIRED
➢ Tangent Galvanometer (TG),
➢ Commutator (C),
➢ Rheostat (R),
➢ Battery (E),
➢ Ammeter (A),
➢ Key (K),

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Plug Key

THEORY
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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,

Eq 1: F = H tan θ

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When a bar magnet is suspended

in two Magnetic fields B and Bh,
it comes to rest making an angle
θ with the direction of Bh.
Let a current I be passed through
the coil of radius R, having turns N.
Then magnetic field produced at the
centre of coil is,

Eq 2 : 𝐹 = μ0
2πIN
4π R

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Let H is the horizontal component of

earth’s

needle comes to rest at angle 𝜃 with

magnetic field and the magnetic

the direction of H, then according

Eq. (1),

𝐻𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 =μ0 2πIN

4π R

𝐻𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 = 10−7 2πIN

𝑅

Eq 3 : 𝐻 =

𝑅𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃
2π×10−7IN

by substituting the value of current

I, from eq. (3),

Eq 4: 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 𝐼 = 𝜇0 2𝜋𝑁

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4𝜋 RH

deflection 𝜃 and N, the value of H

radius of coil of galvanometer R,

can be calculated.
PROCEDURE

Connections are made as shown in

the figure given below, where K is
the key, E the battery, A the
ammeter, R the rheostat, C the
commutator, and T.G 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.

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CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

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.
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3. Now rotate the coil of the

galvanometer about its vertical
axis, till the magnetic needle, 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.
5. In this setting, 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

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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 1o, 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 45o. The deflection should
not be outside the range (30o-60o).
8. Record the reading of the ammeter
and the deflection of the compass
needle in the box shown by two
ends of pointer on the scale.

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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.
Measure the inner and the outer
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diameter of the coil with a half
metre scale at least three times.

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OBSERVATIONS
AND
CALCULATIONS
Table 1. For variation of 𝜽 with I

S.N Value of Mea tan

O deflection n θ
θ (degree)
For
For reve Ammeter
direct rse Reading
curren curre (A)
t nt
θ θ Ob Correc
θ1 2 θ3 4 s ted
1. 35 35 3 3 35 0.7 0.15
5 5 0 0.1
5
2. 49 47 6 6 53.6 1.3 0.20
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0 4 60.2
0
3. 36 36 5 5 46.2 1.0 0.25
5 8 5 4 0.2
5
4. 50 50 6 6 58.2 1.6 0.30
5 8 1 0.3
0
5. 45 45 6 6 53.8 1.3 0.2 0.27
4 5 77

Table 2. For radius of tangent

Galvanometer
S.N Inner Outer Mean Mean
o.
diamet diamet diamete radius
er er d2 r
d1 (cm) d (cm)
(cm)

1. 16.0 × 16.40 16.20 × 8.10

× 10-
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10−2 × 10−2 10−2 2

8.06
16.16 16.08 16.12 ×
2. × 10−2 × 10−2 ×
10 −2
10−2
8.04
16.06 16.10 16.08 ×
3. × × 10−2 × 10−2 10−2
10−2
Mean radius of coil R = 8.04 ×
10−2

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GRAPH

Slope of straight line = BC

AC
m = tanθ
Now substitute
the m in Eq. (4),
m = μ0 2πN
4π RH

Then, H = = 7.6867 × 10−8 𝑇

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RESULT
The value of earth’s magnetic field

H = 7.6867 × 10−8 𝑇
by using a tangent galvanometer is

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.

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4. There should be no parallax in

noting down the readings of
ammeter and deflection.
5. All the readings should be adjusted
between 30o and 60o.

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

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FACTS
The tangent galvanometer is an
early measuring instrument for
Current
➢ The magnetic field produced by a
circular coil carrying current I is
Proportional to I.
➢ The S.I unit of magnetic field is
Tesla .
➢ The magnitude of horizontal
intensity of earth’s magnetic field
is3.5x10⁻⁵ T .

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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.
3.For calibration of secondary
instruments

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
➢ Tangent Galvanometer
(Procedure):Comprehensive
Physics Activities Volume
I :Laxmi Publications Pvt Ltd.
➢ Tangent Galvanometer
(Theory) : Comprehensive
Physics Activities Volume I :
Laxmi Publications Pvt Ltd.
➢ Tangent Galvanometer

(Precautions and Sources of

error):
Comprehensive
Physics Activities Volume I :
Laxmi Publications Pvt Ltd. ➢
Galvanometer:
http://physics.kenyon.edu/Earl
yApparatus/Electrical_Measurement
s/

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