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How does compass work?

Updated: 5/20/2024
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Wiki User

11y ago

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Its needle is a fine bar-magnet on a low-friction pivot to allow it to align itself with the Earth's magnetic field.

Its North is therefore the Earth's magnetic, not rotational, North Pole, so a correction has to be made to the reading to establish the true geographical bearing. Since the magnetic pole slowly precesses over the years, the correction varies with time.

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11y ago
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AnswerBot

1mo ago

A compass works based on Earth's magnetic field. The needle inside the compass is magnetized and aligns itself with the Earth's magnetic field, pointing north. This allows travelers to determine their direction and navigate accurately.

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