Today, we are going to explain how to make a simple compass with a 1.5 Volt battery. You could use these skills to navigate with a map when hiking in the wild. However today we are going to make a compass with a battery just for fun. Are you ready? Let’s get going!
Materials You Need to Make a Compass with a Battery
You are going to need the following materials, which you probably have lying around the house (except the compass to compare with which you can borrow):
- A 1.5 volt battery (any type will do but must be in a well-charged state)
- One-foot-length of telephone wire with the core exposed at either end
- A steel sewing needle, brass paper fasteners and some electrical tape
- A clear glass jar, a pencil or biro, and a short length of string or thread
- A small commercial compass to use as reference point for testing
How to Make a Magnetic Needle for Our Compass
Wind the wire around the steel needle tightly, let’s say a dozen times. Attach the ends of the wire to the brass paper fasteners. Attach these to the battery terminals using the electrical tape. Set your work aside for one hour. You need to be patient to make a compass with a battery. Be careful, the needle is going to get hot.
Now test your ‘electromagnet’ by seeing if you can use the needle to pick up a paper clip. If it works, that’s great. If not, increase the number of windings and try again. When satisfied, remove the needle and try to pick up a paper clip again. While it may not be as strong, it should still be a magnet. Lay it down on a piece of paper.
How to Test the Compass You Made with a Battery
Avoid touching anything metallic with your magnet needle. Make a small loop at one end of the string through which you can just push the pencil or biro. Next, tie the other end tightly around the middle of the needle so the length is less than the height of the glass jar.
Experiment until the needle hangs level, and then hang it in the jar with the pencil or biro across the mouth. Your needle should always settle in the same direction no matter how you twist the jar. However, which end is pointing north? Compare this with the commercial compass so you know whether it is the sharp point, or the eye. That’s how you make a compass with a needle and it’s easy.
Related
Preview Image: Schematic Magnetization of a Nail
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