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What features of the earth makes a compass needle point north
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How do you know that the compass point at north always?
The Earth's magnetic field causes a compass needle to align with the magnetic North Pole, which is located near the geographic North Pole. This makes the compass point to the north direction consistently.
Why does a compass needle always point to magetic north?
The simple answer is that the magnetized needle is being attracted by the North Magnetic Pole (which is close to, but not the same as the geographic North Pole).However, the colored part of the needle is not actually drawn to the North, although that would be the result of unlike charges being drawn together. The actual effect is that the needle aligns itself with the parallel lines of magnetism connecting the North and South magnetic poles, so that it lines up North and South, its northern end pointed north and its southern end pointed south.The Earth's magnetic field is generated by the movement of its iron core in relation to the crust.No matter where you stand on Earth, you can hold a compass in your hand and it will point toward the North Pole. What an unbelievably neat and amazing thing! Imagine that you are in the middle of the ocean, and you are looking all around you in every direction and all you can see is water, and it is overcast so you cannot see the sun... How in the world would you know which way to go unless you had a compass to tell you which way is "up"? Long before GPS satellites and other high-tech navigational aids, the compass gave humans an easy and inexpensive way to orient themselves.But what makes a compass work the way it does? And why is it useful for detecting small magnetic fields, as we saw in How Electromagnets Work? In this article, we will answer all of these questions, and we'll also see how to create a compass from scratch!A compass is an extremely simple device. A magnetic compass (as opposed to a gyroscopic compass) consists of a small, lightweight magnet balanced on a nearly frictionless pivot point. The magnet is generally called a needle. One end of the needle is often marked "N," for north, or colored in some way to indicate that it points toward north. On the surface, that's all there is to a compass.The reason why a compass works is more interesting. It turns out that you can think of the Earth as having a gigantic bar magnet buried inside. In order for the north end of the compass to point toward the North Pole, you have to assume that the buried bar magnet has its south end at the North Pole, as shown in the diagram at the right. If you think of the world this way, then you can see that the normal "opposites attract" rule of magnets would cause the north end of the compass needle to point toward the south end of the buried bar magnet. So the compass points toward the North Pole.To be completely accurate, the bar magnet does not run exactly along the Earth's rotational axis. It is skewed slightly off center. This skew is called the declination, and most good maps indicate what the declination is in different areas (since it changes a little depending on where you are on the planet).The magnetic field of the Earth is fairly weak on the surface. After all, the planet Earth is almost 8,000 miles in diameter, so the magnetic field has to travel a long way to affect your compass. That is why a compass needs to have a lightweight magnet and a frictionless bearing. Otherwise, there just isn't enough strength in the Earth's magnetic field to turn the needle.The "big bar magnet buried in the core" analogy works to explain why the Earth has a magnetic field, but obviously that is not what is really happening. So what is really happening?No one knows for sure, but there is a working theory currently making the rounds. As seen on the above, the Earth's core is thought to consist largely of molten iron (red). But at the very core, the pressure is so great that this superhot iron crystallizes into a solid. Convection caused by heat radiating from the core, along with the rotation of the Earth, causes the liquid iron to move in a rotational pattern. It is believed that these rotational forces in the liquid iron layer lead to weak magnetic forces around the axis of spin.It turns out that because the Earth's magnetic field is so weak, a compass is nothing but a detector for very slight magnetic fields created by anything. That is why we can use a compass to detect the small magnetic field produced by a wire carrying a currentThe Core of our earth is molten iron, and it's spinning really friggen fast. That spin of the iron creates a large electro-magnetic field. Similar to a small bar magnet, it has two poles. The needle in the compas will be attracted to the pull of the northpoleansw2. your compass needle just aligns itself with the lines of magnetic force in your vicinity. Which in turn are influenced by the position of the poles.because of the poles magnetic fieldA compass needle aligns itself to the earth's magnetic field. The direction of the earth's magnetic extends from the earth's Magnetic South to its Magnetic North. Remember, the terms 'Magnetic North' and 'Magnetic South' refer to LOCATIONS in the Arctic and Antarctic, respectively, and not to the magnetic polarities at these locations. Because 'unlike poles attract', this means that the polarity of Magnetic North is a south pole, thus attracting the north (coloured) pole of a compass needle.The iron core of the Earth acts like a giant bar magnet buried in the Earth.Since that giant bar magnet is pointing South, opposites attract and the magnetized needle points North.
How navigators and sailors used magnetic compass?
The Earth's magnetic field is what makes the common magnetic compass work. From its invention until the advent of newer technologies beginning around the turn of the 20th century, the magnetic compass, together with the sextant and the chronometer, constituted the primary tools of the navigator. Of course, the compass' primary role was to facilitate steering ships on the right heading under conditions where the Sun and stars could not be seen.
What is the gas that makes up 21 of earth's atmosphere?
The gas that makes up 21% of Earth's atmosphere is oxygen.
CO2 makes up what percentage of atmosphere?
CO2 makes up approximately 0.03% of Earth's atmosphere
What feature of the Earth makes a compass needle point north?
What features of the earth makes a compass needle point north
Why won't a compass work near a magnet?
The compass needle is itself a magnet which is why it always points north according to the earth's magnetic field. If you place a magnet (Whose magnetic power is stronger than the earth's) close to the compass its needle will be attracted t the magnet and not to the North Pole.
Why does a compass point North?
A compass points north because of the Earth's magnetic field. The magnetic field exerts a force on the needle of a compass, aligning it with the magnetic north pole, which is close to the geographic North Pole.
What must be done first to an ordinary sewing needle to make it a compass needle?
To make an ordinary sewing needle into a compass needle, it must first be demagnetized by heating it to a high temperature and then allowing it to cool in a specific orientation. This aligns the needle's magnetic domains and makes it a more effective compass needle.
How do you know that the compass point at north always?
The Earth's magnetic field causes a compass needle to align with the magnetic North Pole, which is located near the geographic North Pole. This makes the compass point to the north direction consistently.
What is the purpose of the Lensatic Compass?
A lensatic compass is a compass with a magnifying glass on the sight which makes it easier to view the needle. These types of compasses are frequently used in the military.
What is the name of a magnetized needle that swings freely?
A Compass! A common science experiment involves rubbing a magnet down a needle (only one way!) and putting it in a "boat" in a bowl of water to demonstrate a simple compass! The Earth has a core of iron. This makes a magnetic field, with north pointing (almost*) at the north pole, and south at the south pole. *Magnetic north is not the north pole. Actually, compasses point to a place in northern Canada
What is the function of liquid chamber in a magnetic compass?
The liquid is there to dampen the movement of the needle. Without the liquid, the needle would spin and jiggle about rapidly. Hence the need to slow the movement down - it makes the compass easier to use.
Why do people use magnetic north?
People use magnetic north as a reference point for navigation using a compass because the Earth's magnetic field causes the needle of a compass to align with the magnetic north pole. This makes it easier to determine directions when traveling.
What makes the needle in a compass move?
When the needle of a compass points in a certain direction that means that the poles of earth have alined it so the point is pointing to the north pole (because earth is a magnet) so In conclusion the poles of earth are being attracted to the opposite pole of the needle because opposites attract and the needles in compasses are designed to point the "pointy" part at the north pole. (pretty smart for an 11year old). To be a little more technical, all magnets have a magnetic field going out from its North Pole and entering back in at its South Pole. When in another magnetic field, the fields will exert a force to try to align the field lines. If near a ferromagnetic material, such as iron, the field lines are distorted and exert a force between the magnet and the metal to realign the fields. Since the compass needle has a small mass, and easily spins, it is usually the object which will move.
Do compass needles pointing to direction considered as contact force?
No, magnetism (the force that makes the needle turn) is a non-contact force.
Does a compass spin at the magnetic pole?
No. The actual location of the earth's magnetic 'pole' ... the point that compasses try to point to ... is under the surface, in the earth's interior. A compass needle that's free to rotate vertically as well as horizontally always points somewhat down, in addition to pointing generally north. If you could stand on the surface at the point where compasses seem to be trying to lead you to, your compass would point straight down into the ground. If it's the ordinary kind that's not free to rotate vertically, then it would be pulled down on one side of its bearing, winding up jammed against the case and not free to rotate at all.
