Homemade Compass: Weekly Science Activity

In this week's spotlight: a physics-focused family science activity that can help everyone in the family get a better sense of where you are—or in what direction you are heading. In this activity, students make a small, working compass using part of a cork, a needle, and a magnet. Once the compass is created, students can put it to the test. Does the direction the homemade compass points match up to what another navigational device or app says? Families can experiment with other versions of the same type of compass made using different kinds of magnets—or even a leaf instead of cork! How does a homemade compass work? What does a compass have to do with the Earth's magnetic field? And what kinds of problems might alter the effectiveness of a homemade compass? This is fun hands-on science for young explorers, mapmakers, and those curious about magnetism.

Families can make their own compass using the Science Buddies activity at Scientific American:

• Steering Science: Make a Homemade Compass

For another fun hands-on science project involving magnetism, see the following project and blog post at Science Buddies:

• The Amazing Floating Train: How Much Weight Can A Maglev Train Hold?
• Magic Train Puts Kids on Track with Physics of Magnetism