Finding North (Funky Physics Experiments)

You will need:

1. A needle
2. Wax or butter paper
3. Scissors
4. Glass bowl
5. Water
6. Magnet
7. Indelible marker pen

Compasses are intriguing objects. How exactly
do they function? Find out how a compass works
by making your very own compass at home.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Take a glass bowl and fill it with water.
2. Next, take the wax or butter paper and
   cut it into a circle with scissors. The diameter of the circle should not be larger than that of the needle.
3. Take your needle and colour the side with the hole (with a marker) so as to identify it.
4. If your magnet has a defined North Pole and South Pole, then rub the South Pole of the magnet on the coloured side of the needle, but only by rubbing it in one direction.
5. Take your needle and gently thread it
   into the wax or butter paper circle.
6. Place the circle on the surface of the water.

RESULT

The needle and the paper will align themselves with the earth’s magnetic field. It is interesting to note that the earth’s geographic poles are reversed. The geographic North Pole is the earth’s South Pole and the geographic South Pole is the North Pole. The coloured side of the needle was rubbed on the South Pole of the magnet, and thus becomes the North Pole, which is attracted to the actual South Pole, i.e. earth’s geographic North Pole. Even when the bowl is moved around carefully, the needle will realign itself to the earth’s North Pole and South Pole.