How does the earth behaves like a giant magnet?

Answer 1

Earth has a molten liquid core containing iron. It is believed that as it moves or spins, it creates an electric current that causes a magnetic field around the Earth. The field is believed to be created by this dynamo action. The magnetic field makes the Earth act like a huge magnet so it attracts like one. That's why it pulls the magnetized needle in a compass and makes it point in the general direction of the North Pole. Use the link below to learn more.

Answer 2

The earth has a magnetic field. It was known to ancient Chinese, who invented the compass a couple of hundred years BCE (give or take). The actual mechanism that generates that magnetic field is not known, but it is suspected to be dynamo action in an area of molten nickel-iron outside the core of the earth. Recall that the earth's core is thought to be a super hot molten mass of nickel-iron. The core itself is too hot to be able to create the field, so it's though to originate somewhere outside the core in a cooler (but still molten) region. The field cannot be seen directly, of course, but the direct effects of the field can be observed by using a magnetic compass or by observing the aurora. The earth's magnetic field makes the earth a dipole magnetwith a north and a south magnetic pole. The magnetic field is not very strong, but it's strong enough to make a magnetic compass work. And it's a super friendly phenomenon that deflects a lot of charged particles that are streaming off the sun away from and around the earth; it protects us from the solar wind. The magnetosphere, the "area of influence" of the earth's magnetic field, extends out into space around the planet - and aren't we lucky it does! The earth's magnetic field strength is continually changing, and the magnetic poles themselves are moving a little every year. As the geomagnetic history of the earth shows, the magnetic field has increases and decreased in strength (by as much as a factor of 4) over long periods, and has even shifted polarity on several occasions over geologic time. (It's called geomagnetic reversal.) We may be coming up on another shift in the not-too-distant future. Wikipedia has some good information posted about the earth's magnetic field. Need a link? You got it. Additional information Magnetic fields are composed of invisible lines of force that are present in the "body" of the magnet, and extend outward from the poles. The lines of force can be said to be radiating out of one pole, curving around the "body" of the magnet, and going "back into" the other pole of the magnet. The magnetic field extends around the earth and out into space for some distance. This field is called the magnetosphere. Calculations suggest the magnetosphere reaches into the vacuum of space out to several tens of thousands of miles on the sunward side of the earth, and outward on the order of a couple of hundred thousand miles on the side of the earth away from the sun. That's due to the "pressure" of the solar wind on the magnetosphere, and the magnetosphere deforms under that electromagnetic pressure.

Answer 3

Because Earth is a giant magnet.

At the most basic, compasses rely on it; if you want to get serious, its protection keeps us alive and not writhing in the agony of direct solar wind.

Answer 4

The Earth is like a giant magnet because it generates a magnetic field and has a North and South Pole.

The Magnetic North pole is attracted to the Geographical South Pole, as opposites attract.

To be exact, the North Magnetic pole is 1600km from the North pole, whereas the South (Magnetic) pole is 2600km from the South Pole.

Last edited (re-written) by 09pwang.

Answer 5

In the late 1500s, the English physician Sir William Gilbert became interested in compasses . He spoke with several navigators and experimented with his own

compass...Gilbert confirmed that the compass always point in the same directions ,no matter where it is . But no one knew why.

Answer 6

Earth is a magnet because it pulls things down.When you jump you fall back DOWN!

Answer 7

Gravitational Pull