Question

When is the angle of dip at a place equal to 45^o?

(a) When the vertical and horizontal components of earth’s magnetic field are equal

(b) When the vertical component is twice the horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field

(c) When the vertical component is half the horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field

(d) When either the vertical component or the horizontal components of earth’s magnetic field is equal to zero

I got this question in an interview for internship.

This interesting question is from Earth’s Magnetism topic in portion Magnetism and Matter of Physics – Class 12

Answer 1

Correct answer is (a) When the vertical and horizontal components of earth’s magnetic field are equal

The best I can explain: Yes, the angle of dip at a place is equal to 45^o, when the vertical and horizontal components of earth’s magnetic field are equal. In this case ➔ δ=45^o

tanδ=\( \frac {B_V}{B_H}\)=1

So, BV=BH.