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Q.(a) What is meant by angle of dip ?

(b) A magnetic needle free to rotate in vertical plane is taken to a magnetic pole of the Earth. How will it orient itself ?
(c) When a magnetic needle free to rotate in horizontal plane is taken to a magnetic pole of the Earth, it is unable to show the magnetic directions and orient itself in any direction. Why ?
Goa GbshseGBSHSE Class 12 Board Exam 2019Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
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Angle of dip is where the resultant field points relative to horizontal; at the magnetic poles the field is purely vertical, so a vertical needle aligns along it while a horizontal needle feels no directional torque at all.

(a) Angle of dip: At any place, Earth's magnetic field BB has a horizontal component BHB_H and a vertical component BVB_V. The angle of dip (or magnetic inclination), δ\delta, is the angle that the resultant field BB makes with the horizontal:

tan⁡δ=BVBH\tan\delta = \frac{B_V}{B_H}

(b) At a magnetic pole, Earth's field is entirely VERTICAL (BH=0B_H=0, δ=90°\delta=90°). So a magnetic needle that is free to rotate in a vertical plane will align itself along the vertical direction (pointing straight down/up along the field).

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