Find a
Resource
Select grade level(s) Select resource type(s) Select collection(s) Select standard(s) Skip navigation Digital Library for Earth System Education
Digital Library for Earth System Education
Home
New to DLESE?
Search tips
Educational resources > Find a resource > Resource description
Motion of the Magnetic Pole
http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/activity/s8.pdf
From DLESE Community Collection (DCC)
Comment on this resource
In this activity students plot the latitude and longitude involved in the movement of the Magnetic North Pole over a period of time, predict its location by the year 2000, and justify their reasoning. Students will discover that the Magnetic North Pole has been charted over the past several hundred years and that the pole shifts an average of 15 kilometers/year. They will also learn tha navigation by compass is especially difficult during a magnetic storm. Compass bearings can shift by 10 degrees or more within the course of a few hours, therefore, it is important to know the pole's present location. During the activity, students will use a formula to calculate the speed of the Magnetic North Pole and will conclude that the Magnetic North Pole moves from year to year.
Intended for grade levels:
  • Middle (6-8)
  • High (9-12)
Type of resource:
  • For the classroom:
    • Classroom activity
Subject:
  • Geological Sciences:
    • Geophysics
Technical requirements:
Adobe Acrobat reader
Cost / Copyright:
No cost
NASA images generally are not copyrighted. You may use NASA imagery, video and audio material for educational or informational purposes, including photo collections, textbooks, public exhibits and Internet Web pages. This general permission does not include the NASA insignia logo (the blue meatball insignia), the NASA logotype (the red worm logo) and the NASA seal. These images may not be used by persons who are not NASA employees or on products (including Web pages) that are not NASA sponsored.
DLESE Catalog ID: DLESE-000-000-008-010
Educational standards:
  • National Science Education Standards (NSES):
    • 5-8:
      • Unifying concepts and processes:
        • Change, constancy, and measurement
      • A - Science as inquiry:
        • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
    • 9-12:
      • Unifying concepts and processes:
        • Change, constancy, and measurement
      • A - Science as inquiry:
        • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
      • B - Physical science:
        • Motions and forces
Resource contact / Creator / Publisher:
Author: Ms Susan Higley
Cherry Hill Middle School

Editor: Dr Sten Odenwald
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Image for Magnetopause-to-Auroral Global Exploration