How does a compass work using the Earth's magnetic field?

Answer 1

a compass has a magnetic point which points to the north pole.

well yes but....a compass has a magnetic needle inside it which attracts it self to the earths magnetic field. it may not actually point to the norht pole but actually to the earths magnetic north pole

Answer 2

Very easy, but difficult without visual aids. Hard to put into text! What is it you need to know???

How to find North?, how to take a bearing?

Let me know & i will try my best to explain in text!

Answer 3

The key mechanism behind a compass is the magnetic field generated by the Earth's core. This field results in the North pole exhibiting a South magnetic polarity and the South pole exhibits a North magnetic polarity. While this may seem like a contradiction, remember that magnetic opposites attract. Whenever you construct a compass, the needle that points to the North must be made from an object with a North polarization. In the Northern Hemisphere, this needle will be attracted to the South Polarity of the North Pole and point North. In the Southern Hemisphere, the needle will be repelled by the South Pole and thus will also point to the North.

When navigating with a compass, one will have to be careful to remember that Magnetic North and Geographic North are not the same thing. The magnetic North Pole is currently located to the West of the Ellesmere Island in Canada. Therefore, while a compass points close to Geographic North, as you get closer to the actual North Pole, it gets even less accurate.

In addition, the location of this magnetic pole is not permanent. Current observations show that it is actually moving North at 41 km/year (but not even that speed is constant). Also, due to complex interactions at the Earth's core, the polarity of this field also switches on average every 300,000 years. One day, all compasses will actually point to the South Pole!

Answer 4

A compass contains a needle which shows the holder north and south when the needle turns. A compass contains a lightweight magnet and fricitionless bearing to connect with the earths magnetic field otherwise the needle cannot be turned.

Answer 5

A compass works by utilizing a magnetized needle that aligns itself with the Earth's magnetic field. The needle points towards the Earth's magnetic North Pole, allowing users to determine which direction is north, south, east, and west. This alignment is possible because the Earth's core generates a magnetic field that influences the needle's orientation.

Answer 6

It is a thing that helps you not to get lost. Its needle in the middle is a magnet, so it will be attracted to the lodestone and tells you which direction is where.

Answer 7

Magnetic fields are mostly influenced by varying electric currents and various kinds of magnetic material. Electric currents combined with quantum properties cause the field to spin.

Answer 8

In short, the needle of the compass is a magnet. Because there are large deposits of iron in the far north, the magnet is attracted to them and points north.

Answer 9

the way a magnet is used in a compass is that it would always point to the earth magnet north instead of the north pole