I can still remember in 2nd grade science class wondering about this idea. And I still remember how baffled my teacher was when I asked her this question: “Doesn’t the north tip of a compass needle point to the south pole?” Think about this – if you hold up a magnet by a string, just like the needle of a compass, does the north end of the magnet line up with the north or south pole of the earth?
If you remember about magnets, you know that opposite attract. So the north tip of the compass will line up with the Earth’s SOUTH pole. So compasses are upside-down! Here’s an activity you can do right now…
Materials:
- magnet
- compass
- string