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At a place on Earth, the vertical component of Earth's magnetic field is √3 times its horizontal component. The angle of dip at this place is ______.

Asked in GSEB Board March 2020 (old course) · Field of a bar magnet and earth's field

Answer: (3) π/3 rad

Step-by-step solution

Given: B_V=√3 B_H.

Idea: the angle of dip δ is the angle the total field makes with the horizontal, so tan δ=(B_V)/(B_H).

tan δ=√3, and so δ=60°.

In radians, 60°=π/3 rad.

Sense check: B_V>B_H means the needle dips steeply, so δ has to be more than 45° -- and it is.

So the angle of dip is π/3 rad.

Why the other options are wrong

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