With the help of an activity suggest how you can make your magnetic compass. What do you conclude?

A magnetic compass can be prepared by the following steps:

1. Place an iron needle on a wooden table.

2. Magnetise the needle by rubbing a bar magnet along the length of the needle without lifting the needle.

3. After reaching the endpoint of the needle, lift the magnet and again rub it in the same direction.

4. Remember to rub in the same direction and repeat the steps.

5. Now insert the needle through a small piece of cork in a vessel containing water.

6. Let the cork float in the vessel containing water, and make sure that the needle does not touch the water.

7. Now, the magnetic compass is ready to work. Rotate the cork, in different directions, and note the directions in which the needle points.

8. Also, note the direction when the cork begins to float again without rotating.

From this activity, we conclude or observe that when the needle comes to rest, it shift and align itself in the 'North-South direction'. This shows that the earth acts as a really big magnet due to the magnetic field created by its iron core.

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Updated on: 10-Oct-2022

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