Compass

Key Stage 3

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A compass is a very small magnet that can freely spin around its center to show the direction of a magnetic field.

A compass will point with one end towards the North Seeking Pole and the other towards the South Seeking Pole.

The end which points to the North is called the North Seeking Pole and the one pointing to the South is the South Seeking Pole.

Some very small compasses are used to draw the magnetic field around a magnet. These are called plotting compasses.


These compasses show the direction of the magnetic field of a bar magnet.	These compasses show the direction of Earth's magnetic field.

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A compass is a very small magnet that can freely spin around its center to show the direction of a magnetic field.

A compass will point with one end towards the North Seeking Pole and the other towards the South Seeking Pole.

Then end which points to the North is called the North Seeking Pole and the one pointing to the South is the South Seeking Pole.

Compasses show that the Earth acts like a large magnet with the North of the Earth being a South Seeking Pole.

Some very small compasses are used to draw the magnetic field around a magnet. These are called plotting compasses.


These compasses show the direction of the magnetic field of a bar magnet.	These compasses show the direction of Earth's magnetic field. This shows that the North of the Earth is a South Seeking Pole of a magnet.