A compass is like a tiny magnet that wants to be friends with the biggest magnet in the world, the Earth. The needle on a compass points north because it follows the Earth's magnetic field, just like how a magnet attracts paper clips. ## Works A compass has a magnetic needle that can spin freely. When you hold it up, the needle moves until it lines up with the Earth’s north and south poles, that's why it always points north! It doesn’t know where north is, but it follows the invisible lines of magnetism around the world.
Examples
- A compass needle is like a tiny magnet that always follows the Earth's invisible lines of magnetism.
- If you put a compass on your table and spin it around, the needle will still point north, it just takes time to settle.
- A compass works even underwater or when it’s moving in a boat, it doesn’t need anything else to work.
See also
- What Causes the Tides Exactly?
- Why Do We Have Different Seasons?
- What Causes a Volcano to Erupt?
- How Do Birds Migrate So Far?
- How Does a Battery Work?
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Categories: Science · magnetism· navigation· earth science · Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.