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How to Make a Compass With a Magnetized Nail

The points, or directions, on the face of a compass are more than north (N), south (S), east (E) and west (W). There are the intercardinal points, of course, such as northeast (NE) and southwest (SW), but you'll also find secondary intercardinal points between these and the four major points. For example, the point between north and northeast is north-northeast (NNE) and the point between south and southwest is south-southwest (SSW). You can bring all the points of the compass to your kitchen table, craft table or desk by making your own a magnetized-nail compass.

Things You'll Need

Sheet of paper
Shallow basin or dish filled with water
Liquid soap
Styrofoam cup
Scissors or safety razor blade
Steel nail
Bar magnet
Commercial compass
Pen or pencil

Instructions

- 1
  Place a sheet of paper on the table or desk where you want to make your magnetized-nail compass.
- 2
  Place a shallow basin or dish filled with water on the piece of paper. Place a drop of liquid soap in the water to reduce friction.
- 3
  Cut the bottom from a Styrofoam cup using scissors or a safety razor blade to make a Styrofoam disk.
- 4
  Float the Styrofoam disk on top of the water in the basin or dish by holding the Styrofoam disk parallel to the water surface and carefully resting the disk on the water surface.
- 5
  Place a bar magnet on the table.
- 6
  Stroke a steel nail lengthwise along the bar magnet 20 to 60 times. Keep the nail and bar magnet parallel and stroke the nail in one direction only. Hold the nail far from the bar magnet each time you return the nail to begin another stroke. This will magnetize the nail.
- 7
  Remove the bar magnet from the table. Rest your magnetized nail on top of the floating Styrofoam disk by holding the nail parallel to the surface of the disk and lowering the nail until it is on top of the Styrofoam disk.
- 8
  Wait for the floating disk and nail to stop turning. The nail is aligning itself with north on the earth's magnetic field.
- 9
  Place a commercial compass on the table and identify magnetic north by noting which direction the marked end of the commercial compass needle points. For example, the red-marked end of your commercial compass points toward the front of the house.
- 10
  Mark a capital N for north using a pen or pencil on the paper under the basin or dish of water close to the end of the magnetized nail of your compass that is pointing in the same direction as the marked end of the commercial compass. For example, you mark a capital N close to the end of the magnetized nail pointing toward the front of the house.
- 11
  Mark a capital S for south on the paper close to the end of the nail pointing north. For example, you mark a capital S close to the end of the magnetized nail pointing toward the back of the house.
- 12
  Mark a capital W for west on the piece of paper halfway between north (N) and south (S) going in a counterclockwise direction from north.
- 13
  Mark a capital E for east on the piece of paper halfway between north (N) and south (S) going in a clockwise direction from north.

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