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The needle of a compass must be free to rotate so that it can point to magnetic north. The magnetic field of the earth not only rotates the compass needle horizontally but also pulls one end down. If it pulls the needle down it can stop it from turning freely so on many compasses the needle is balanced for use in a specific zone. There are 5 zones. Austraila and Britain are in different zones. This means the needle may not be level if used in the other's zone. Needles are balanced by making one end of the needle longer or by adding weight to one end of the needle.

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13y ago

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