Magnets

[fountainl]

Why do all north poles of magnets point to the north pole of the earth

[heathfield]

They don't.

[coco pops]

They point to the magnetic north not the norh pole.

[Bob A Job]

isnt it the south pole of the magnet points to the north pole? Opposites attract?

[kempie]

The pole which points North is the "North-seeking pole" of the magnet but commonly referred to as its "north pole".

[kwicky]

I do a lot of map reading and each year the magnetic north moves by a couple of degrees and making map reading by compass very innacurate. I believe that every so many years the magnetic bearing flips 180% but I am unaware waht causes this?

[fairkatrina]

I am not sure what causes the magnetic field of the earth to flip, but it certainly does, and it is due any day now. Don't go orienteering...

[kwicky]

The Earth flipping 180% is due now. According to these pridictions it is more than recreational sport we should be worried about. All the satellites would be rendered useless and life on Earth would not continue as we know it.

http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2005/02/ 27/6900064_Magnet_Pole_Shift/

[brachiopod]

Magnetic North changes by a few degrees every year?

Magnetic reversals happen rapidly geologically speaking - if magnetic North shifted by "a couple of degrees every year", then we'd have a magnetic reversal evry 90 years!

I think, depending where you are geographically, you are looking at an annual magnetic polar variation of a couple of minutes at the most.