While being very bored, I decided to hang a magnet in the shape of a bar to see how good it is compass-wise.
Apparatus: string, cotton thread and the magnet.
Result was, when it had a stable position, it pointed East- West.See pic.
I'm sure it's more traditional with a bar-shape magnet to be N-S, but maybe there are E-W bar magnets?-- not_morrison_rm, Dec 18 2018 E - W magnet https://drive.googl...PypQIhU3yrgIxSY51ml [not_morrison_rm, Dec 18 2018] Animal magnetism https://www.staples...50/product_24326882 [whatrock, Dec 20 2018] There are; or rather, there are bar magnets where the domains aren't orentated along the major axis, but normal to it.
If you heat a magnet above its Curie point, then let it cool in a strong field, you can align the magnetism in any orientation you want. It"s just easiest to make rectangular magnets with the "standard" pole disposition.
Then again, the overdue planetary field reversal might suddenly have started in your neighbourhood ....-- 8th of 7, Dec 18 2018 Although this is something I am normally loth to do, on this occasion I have to agre... agr.... agree with... Nope. Can't do it. Let me instead say that the foregoing annotation may not be completely incorrect.
What you have is not a long, thin EW magnet, but a short and very wide NS one.
Moreovermore, if it *were* an EW magnet, then one end of it should point to Greenwich so, if you're in the UK, you'd have to consider exactly where you were.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 18 2018 The answer is "uncomfortably close to South-East London", which is true of anywhere in the mainland UK.
// the foregoing annotation may not be completely incorrect. //
<Hirohito>
“The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage.”
</Hirohito>
A quite magnificent effort, [MB]. We have always known that you have some Royal blood.-- 8th of 7, Dec 18 2018 Perhaps the problem is that you seem to have used a large grasshopper or praying mantis in place of string to hold up your magnet.-- notexactly, Dec 18 2018 No, it clearly says "Sting" on the caption, something which neither mantis nor grasshoppers have.
Where is Ivorth, by way ? It is unknown to Google Maps.
Besides, the very subtle, almost undetectable, way in which the image has been digitally manipulated completely destroys the credibility of the experiment,-- 8th of 7, Dec 18 2018 Regrettably, it is actually true, and I have the lowest drawing skills of all mankind. It's me age.
Anyway, I'm still wondering why would make a job lot of "short and very wide NS" magnets.
NB there is a Ivorth Luhulima on Instagram, whatever that is.-- not_morrison_rm, Dec 18 2018 There was also some sort of Welsh electronic train called Ivorth e-Engine.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 18 2018 According to the net - so it must be true - "Means "handsome lord" from Welsh ior "lord" and berth "handsome". This name is used in the Mabinogion, a collection of tales from Welsh myth, where it belongs to a son of Maredudd. This name is sometimes used as a Welsh form of Edward."-- not_morrison_rm, Dec 18 2018 // tales from Welsh myth //
Oh yeah, one of THOSE ...
"Sometimes it stops raining" "Making fire ? Oh, easy ..." "I swear I never touched the sheep, your Honour." "We don't sacrifice and eat people any more."-- 8th of 7, Dec 18 2018 Well, at the point where humanity makes up [insert number] % of the biomass, it'll be difficult to eat something that wasn't human.
Soylent Green is a (very inaccurately devised) anagram of "Chronos diet". Not a lot of people know that.-- not_morrison_rm, Dec 19 2018 In fact they're exactly the same words, apart from using completely different letters in a different order.-- 8th of 7, Dec 19 2018 Yes, but apart from that..-- not_morrison_rm, Dec 19 2018 I believe I have found the problem, in the form of a piglet on your sill resting under a blanket of reading material. Swine are naturally high in animal magnetism (see link).-- whatrock, Dec 20 2018 While an East-West compass would be a novelty, a more interesting variation would be a Kata-Ana compass.-- AusCan531, Dec 20 2018 Well certainly safer than a katana compass, I think if you had a kata-ana compass, you wouldn't know if you were coming or going, physically and temporarily. Cue Dr Who theme music, der dum, der dum, der dum, wheeo etc.
BTW I heard on the news today that Toblerone has been cleared as halal. We can all sleep in our beds more soundly tonight.-- not_morrison_rm, Dec 20 2018 ... unless you're brown, made of chocolate, and divided into triangular segments.-- 8th of 7, Dec 20 2018 Q: Do you know why they making Toblerone bars that particular shape?
A: So they fit in the boxes. (sorry)-- AusCan531, Dec 21 2018 At the risk of giving a serious answer...
Your local magnetic field might be wonky, too. I have a magnetic compass whose idea of north varies by about 60 degrees from one end of my sofa to the other. I imagine it's caused by currents flowing in cables in the walls & loft.-- Wrongfellow, Dec 21 2018 Very unlikely, because those currents will be AC, and besides the compass would only be affected by the near field even from a DC cable, which fades out really quickly.
Culprits might be large masses of ferrous metal, nearby vehicles, metal framing in furniture, or some appliances.-- 8th of 7, Dec 21 2018 Yes, but the currents in the Xmas pud...anyway who ever came up with name Eddy Currents?-- not_morrison_rm, Dec 21 2018 Named after André-Marie Ampère, of course, known as "Andy" by most, and to his close frends and family as "Eddie".-- 8th of 7, Dec 21 2018 I thought he was in the spacetime continuum?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 23 2018 Apart from Q, isn't everyone ... ?-- 8th of 7, Dec 23 2018 random, halfbakery