Why is southern end of compass needle heavier?
I am doing an assignment and one question asks me to find out why one end of a surveyor’s compass is heavier than the other. I’m having real trouble finding anything at all. Do you have any basic information or some sites that might be of use to me? Reply The southern end of a compass needle (as used in the US and Europe) is slightly heavier, to counterbalance the fact that the northern end is pulled northward not just horizontally but also at a downward angle (“dip angle”). This fact was discovered around 1580 by Robert Norman in England, and is described on http://www.phy6.org/earthmag/upto1600.htm. 96. Dynamo theory I am a year 12 student and Physics is one of my subjects. For a research investigation I am focusing on the Earth’s magnetic field and how it is created. Looking at various sites, it appears that the magnetic field is created by an electrical current, created in a way similar to the one by which currents are induced in an electric generator. Is this the correct assumptio