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magnetic north
Definition
Magnetic north is the direction that a compass needle points to. It is not the same as the true north, which is the direction of the North Pole.
The Earth has a magnetic field, and the magnetic needle in a compass is attracted to the north and south poles of the Earth's magnetic field. The north pole of the magnetic needle is attracted to the south pole of the Earth's magnetic field, and the south pole of the magnetic needle is attracted to the north pole of the Earth's magnetic field. This is why the magnetic needle always points north.
However, the Earth's magnetic field is not perfectly aligned with the Earth's axis of rotation. This means that magnetic north is not the same as true north. The difference between magnetic north and true north is called magnetic declination.
Magnetic declination can vary depending on your location on the Earth. In some places, magnetic north is very close to true north. In other places, magnetic declination can be as much as 10 degrees or more.
How can the word be used?
The compass needle pointed to magnetic north.
Different forms of the word
Noun: The direction that a compass needle points to, which is not exactly the same as true north because the Earth's magnetic field is not perfectly aligned with its axis of rotation.
Adjective: Describing something that is related to magnetic north. For example, you could say "magnetic north pole" or "magnetic north deviation".
Etymology
The word "magnetic north" comes from the noun "magnetic", which describes something that has the properties of a magnet, and the noun "north", which is the direction that is at a right angle to both east and west.
The word "magnetic north" was first used in English in the 17th century. It was originally used to describe the direction that a compass needle pointed to, but it soon came to be used in a more general sense to describe any direction that is aligned with the Earth's magnetic field.
Question
What is magnetic north?