If I stood on the exact location of magnetic north, what direction would my compass point? | Notes a

If I stood on the exact location of magnetic north, what direction would my compass point?

Tom, London UK

• Down.

  d sutherland, wick scotland

• It tends to dip toward the ground, and meanders round in circles. This was experienced by early explorers of the South Pole.

  Christopher Woods, Mt Victoria NSW Australia

• If you mean the geographical North Pole, the needle would point south, as that is the only direction one can go from there; more specifically it would point south along the 112.4 degrees west longitude meridian towards the magnetic north pole at 82 degrees north, which is where compasses point. If you mean the North Magnetic Pole, the answer depends on how the compass is oriented. If it is flat, it will point at random, depending on such factors as friction and where it was last pointing before reaching the pole. If it is on edge, the needle will point straight down. Next year the principle will be the same but the details will differ slightly, as the North Magnetic Pole is drifting northwest through the Canadian Arctic at about 40 km per year.

  William Dunlap, Hamden, Connecticut USA

• Straight up, following the earth's magnetic field (Imagine the iron filings' pattern at the ends of any magnet).

  Cynthea, New Hampshire USA

• Straight down - or, as at the north pole every direction is south - then south.

  matthew payne, hampton uk