what is the difference between true north and magnetic north?
600589
True north is the actual, geographic location of the North Pole of the Earth, that is, the axis around which the Earth rotates.  Magnetic North is where the Earth's magnetic field "exits" the surface of the planet.  It is what attracts the needle of a magnetic compass to point "north".  Because magnetic north and the north pole are not located in the same place (the magnetic north pole is currently located north of Canada and west of Greenland) in order to use a magnetic compass to navigate, you have to apply a correction factor in degrees to make up in the difference in location from geographic north.  This difference will of course change depending on where you are on the Earth's surface.
141095
A magnetic field has a north and south polarity. Gravitation is mostly the same every where on Earth.
593784
Someday it will be.  Earth reverses its magnetic poles periodically, so one day Antarctica will be to the north.
773087
None of the answers given so far can be right.  The Earth doesn't spin bolt-upright, the rotational axis wobbles over time (precession).  Both poles alternately spend 6 months of the year in continuous sunlight with little or no darkness, and then 6 months in almost perpetual darkness, so it cannot be just due to the amount of sunlight available.  \nI seem to remember reading an explanation for this that relates to the Earth's magnetic field channelling solar radiation away from the polar regions toward the equator.  Presumably then the poles are colder because the magnetic poles happen to be relatively close to the rotational poles and the radiation is being channelled away from these areas ?
112354
At the "true" poles. True poles are not exactly the end points of a bar magnet (say). You can draw field lines to find out the true poles by finding where these field lines converge.
1103752
North is one of the four cardinal directions, specifically the direction that, in Western culture, is treated as the primary direction: north is used (explicitly or implicitly) to define all other directions; the (visual) top edges of maps usually correspond to the northern edge of the territory represented, unless explicitly stated otherwise or landmarks are considered more useful for that territory than specific directions\n\n\n\nTRUE north, the direction along the earth's surface toward one pole of the earth's rotation, namely the pole that is clearly on one's left when standing at the Equator while facing the rising sun.\n\nMAGNETIC north, the direction along the earth's surface in which horizontal magnetic field strength has its most positive value (but see Flipping of planetary magnetic poles for an eventual event, so rare as to make unlikely any advance agreement on whether one or two retronyms would be involved in the replacement terminology)\n\nSouth is also  one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of North and at right angles to East and West.SO ONCE NORTH IS FIXED SOUTH IS IT'S OPPOSITE\n\nBy Western convention, the bottom side of a map is South.\n\n\nSo, the real answer to your question is that it's just a convention & has no scientific basis behind it .
699104
Compass needles align themselves with the magnetic field directions. On earth, the magnetic field direction is always from the north pole to the south pole (approximately), hence the compass shows north and south directions.\n\nThus, if in a particular location in space there is a magnetic field, the compass will align itself with it, otherwise, if there is no magnetic field around (most likely in your assumption of space) the needle will not try to show any direction, as you turn the compass, the neddle will freely turn with it.
244873
One place it is not located at is the "magnetic North pole" which is where a magnetic compass points to. The compass reading could be as much as 15 degrees different from the direction to the "true" North pole you seem to be referring to depending on where in the US or world you are. It would seem logical that the "true" North pole is located where all the lines of longitude come together at the top of a globe. The lines of latitude are parallel to the earth's equator. The earth's axis that passes through the true South to true North poles is known to "precess" slowly over about a 25,000 year period, I believe, meaning that our planet's axis is slowly wobbling over that period of time as the earth rotates around it.
474837
The direction of the north magnetic pole on the earth changes slowly over time. In addition, occasionally, the north and south poles reverse with the pole in the northern hemisphere becoming a south magnetic pole and vice versa. This can be recorded in magnetic rocks and even has utility as a dating method. According to our understanding right now, we are in the middle of such a switch. This is why the strength of the magnetic filed is decreasing. Anyway, a shift is when one of these switches happens.
585209
Its not so much one pole attracting the needlepoint so much as the entire magnetic metal beneath the needle aligning to the magnetic field lines*. North and South are just directional names; the most powerful magnet at the time magnetism was discovered was the earth, so naturally, they used the locations of the Earth's poles to name every magnet's pole.\n\n*Magnetic field lines are lines of force connecting the North and South poles of every magnetic object. Place a magnet under a piece of paper and sprinkle iron filings on top, and you'll be able to 'see' them. \n\nThe magnetosphere is the name given to the Earth's magnetic field, which extends into space and gives us protection against much of the charged particle radiation from the sun. This 'solar wind' interacting with our magnetosphere is what causes the auroras over the poles.
511616
First: Gravity is due to mass, while magnetism is due to the movement of an electric charge.  For earth, this is believed to be caused by the movement of ions within the earth, the magma near the core.\n\nSecond: The poles of a magnet were misnamed.  They named the poles of a magnet because of the direction they pointed.  However, once the properties of magnetism were truly understood, it was too late.  So, appropriately, it could be said that near the north pole is the south magnetic pole, but I'm sure most teachers would frown upon that assertion.\n\nOther notes about magnetism on earth: The earth is imperfect.  The magnetic field is not uniform, so there are variations.  Magnetic north is not geographic north in all situations.  The earth is tilted, and we don't really know the flow of the magma that causes the magnetic field all that well.  Not to mention, there is speculation that magnetic north and south may flip at some point in time, but the mechanism of this is lost on me.  It has happened a very long time ago, and is expected to happen again sometime in the future.
1018515
Any two magnetic fields will interact with each other. The same happens with the Earth's magnetic field and a magnet, although the Earths magnetic field density is very weak in comparison to a magnet. \nThe magnet will locally distort the Earths magnetic field, which can be seen by looking at a compass in just the Earth's magnetic field, then looking at the compass when a magnet is brought near.
499183
A magnetic compass works because the Earth is like a giant magnet, surrounded by a huge magnetic field. The Earth has two magnetic poles which lie near the North and South poles. The magnetic field of the Earth causes a magnetized 'needle' of iron or steel to swing into a north-south position if it is hung from a thread, or if it is stuck through a straw or piece of wood floating in a bowl of water.
154822
Since you are teaching cub scouts, and not geology students, I will assume you are using some of those simple orienteering compasses with the rectangular plastic back. These are good for simple compass work. Rather than give you a long explanation take a look at this excellent website which explains how to turn the compass housing so you can walk in your chosen direction.\n\nHere it is:\nhttp://www.learn-orienteering.org/old/lesson1.html\n\nFor this level you don't have worry about declination, which is the difference between a compass reading and true north.
1100581
First there are 3 north poles. There is magnetic north which your compass will point to, There is the North Pole the earth rotates on and then there is North which would be the top of the earth as compare to the sun and its orbital plane. We can also refer to north based on the position of the galaxy and assigning one end as North and the other as south. North and south poles are used in navigation after the discovery of the compass needle always pointing north.
346576
Nope. \nThere is some evidence that people can sense the magnetic field of the earth and tell which way magnetic north is. But as for true north no one can do that without knowing the magnetic variation for the location they are at.\nWell if you know the time of year and about where you are you could tell true north from the stars but that would be about the same as knowing the magnetic variation for your location.
219376
The earth has two magnetic poles, a north pole and a south pole.\n\nThe effect of both poles can be detected by a good compass from anywhere on earth.