Practice Question

1. The Earth has two magnetic poles, state the name of these two poles

Earth’s magnetic north pole

Earth’s magnetic south pole

2. The south end of a compass needle will point in which direction?

Towards the Earth’s magnetic south pole.

3. Outline the evidence which suggests that the Earth’s core is magnetic

A compass needle will always  point in the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field.

The direction the compass needle points is evidence that Earth itself acts as a giant magnet.

If Earth were not magnetic, the needle wouldn’t have a preferred direction to align with, and the compass would be useless for navigation.

The  compass needle points toward magnetic poles but not at, the geographic poles. This  suggests that Earth’s magnetic field has a two-pole structure, like a bar magnet. This indicates a central, powerful magnetic source, which leads scientists to infer that the core is magnetic.