Question

Problem 1

Answer 1

Given information

A compass is given whose needle is not always parallel to the surface.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1.

It may have a component perpendicular to the earth's surface. This is due to the fact that the earth is not perfectly round. The compass tends to align with the local magnetic field direction, so one end of the compass will point downward. The magnetic field lines of the Earth are not parallel to the surface of the planet. The Earth's magnetic axis does not coincide with the geographic axis, but it does make an angle with it.