Materials Required:
l Needle
l Magnet
l Scissors
l Index card
l Jar
l Thread
l Pencil
Procedure:
- Magnetize a needle by stroking it several times with a magnet.
- Cut a small strip from an index card so that the strip will fit inside the jar. Push the needle into the card.
- Tie one end of a piece of thread to the center of the strip, the other end, to a pencil. Suspend the strip inside the jar by resting the pencil across the opening.
- The needle should rest horizontally—you can balance it by sliding it back or forth in the card strip.
- Let the device come to rest. You have made a compass, and the needle will point North and South.
This Is What Happens:
The entire earth has a magnetic field surrounding it. The needle is a miniature magnet and it is attracted by the earth’s magnetic forces. Since the needle is free to rotate, it aligns itself in a North and South direction.
