ANother option

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Home : 2003 : October : 23

ANother option
By Heidi

I still remember doing the needle compasss activity when I was a grade 4 student! And it helps me know which way is north in the city when I picture how the school sits and how the needle pointed. We magnatized the needle
by rubbing the magnet across it alway stroking away from us, never back & forth. Then we ties thread to the middle of the needle and let the needle suspend. It took time for it to hang still but it worked! It pointed North. The teacher did it as a demonstration, the students didn't each try it.
My grade four class did magnatize nails though, learning to stroke the magnet always

away from them. They had great fun dropping and banging the nail to "de-magnatize" it so the next kid in the group could try! We also suspended a bar magnet by string and taped it to the underside of a desk to see if it would eventually have the N end pointing North! It did. The kids like that one too!