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The actual North pole is not magnetic. You are thinking of the North Magnetic Pole which at this moment in time is somewhere off the coast of Canada heading towards Russia due to the movement of the Earths magnetic Field.

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14y ago
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15y ago

There is no 'thing' at the North pole.

The Earth spins on an axis, which is an imaginary line running through the middle of the Earth - hold a tennis ball between your thumb and forefinger, and spin it. The line joining your thumb and your forefinger is the axis of the ball's rotation. In terms of the ball, where your thumb and finger are are the north and south poles.

The same thing happens on the Earth... the poles are just the points at which the axis passes through the surface.

Magnetic north is a different place then the North pole, as a look at a good map will show you, the compass on it always shows magnetic and true north.

The magnetic poles are a result of the magnetism created by the iron core of the Earth - the rotation of the Earth, and the movement, and different densities of the other 'insides' of the Earth, are what causes the magnetic poles to be different from the line of the axis.

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14y ago

Earth due to its rotation gets magnetized and magnetic south is located near by the geometric north pole and magnetic north near by the geo south. So the north pole of the compass gets attracted towards North where magnetic south pole exists as unlike poles attract.

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14y ago

It's not, last time I checked it was in the Northern Hemisphere. Hang on, I will check again,

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Yep, it's still in the nothern hemisphere.

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13y ago

Because if it were located anywhere else it would no longer be the North pole.

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12y ago

For compasses

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13y ago

The Earth has a magnetic field

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Q: Why is the compass headed to the north pole?
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Related questions

What instrument is used for determining direction?

A compass. The North magnetic pole is in the direction of the N on the compass. Therefore, the North magnetic pole is in fact a magnetic field south pole since it *attracts* the north magnetic field pole of the compass magnet.


Does a compass point geographic north?

Actually, a compass points to the magnetic north pole, not the geographic north pole.


Does a compass point to the geographic north pole?

No. The compass needle points toward the magnetic north pole.


Why a compass is attracted by the north pole but not the south pole?

The compass needle is magnetic so has a north pole and a south pole. North attracts north and south attracts south so the compass needle points to the north pole (you could say it - the other end- points to the south pole too).


What happen if a north pole of a magnet is kept on the north pole of magnetic compass?

magnetic compass will stop working.


What causes a compass needle to point to geographic north?

the pole of the compass is attracted to the earths geographic north pole


Where does the south pole a compass magnet points?

The north of the compass points to Earth's magnetic south pole, which is to the north.


IF Earth's magnetic north pole is not located at the geographic north pole why is a compass useful for determining direction?

"IF Earth's magnetic north pole is not located at the geographic north pole why is a compass useful for determining direction?"


Where does a compass not point north?

When standing on the Magnetic North Pole, your compass will only South!


In what direction would you be headed if you were going from the south pole to the north pole?

north


The needle on a compass is always pointing to what pole?

The north pole.


What pole does the needle on a compass always point to?

the north pole