Calculating the Earths magnetic field
We used this apparatus, which is essentially a would up spool of electric wire. On the center we located a compass in the center. All connected to an Ammeter. What it does as we run the current through the wire, it will deflect the compass needle to the right (the higher the current the more to the right it will go). The needle will never be perpendicular to its initial direction, because the magnetic field of the earth will always be pulling on the needle.
This particular spool had 30 revolutions of the wire.
We took 5 different currents and measured the angle it moved. We calculated the magnetic field of the coil and plotted the data as seen above. It is relatively linear. Using the formula [Bcoil=Bearth*tan(theta)) we were able to calculate the earths magnetic field.
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