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Dad Science: The Needle Compass

Dad Science: How to turn a standard sewing needle into a working compass using nothing but friction and a bowl of water.

A magnetized sewing needle floating on a leaf in a bowl of water, pointing North to demonstrate Earth's magnetic field.

The Needle Compass

GPS runs out of battery. Physics doesn’t.

You are standing on a giant magnet (Earth). You just can’t feel it. This experiment makes the invisible visible. It turns a piece of sewing equipment into a navigation device.

The Hack:

  1. The Needle: Grab a steel sewing needle.

  2. The Charge: Take a strong magnet and stroke the needle in one direction only (from the eye to the point). Do this 30 times. Lift the magnet up after each swipe. You are aligning the iron atoms like soldiers in a row.

  3. The Float: Fill a bowl with water. Place a small leaf or a piece of paper on the surface.

  4. The Reveal: Gently place the needle on the leaf.

The Result: It will spin. It will settle. The point will lock onto North. There are no batteries in that bowl. The needle is physically being pulled by the molten iron core of the planet.

#rocketcity #huntsvilleelectrician #huntsville #magneticfield #survivalskills

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