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Why does the north pole of a compass attract to the north pole of the Earth?

The north pole of a compass is attracted to the north pole of the Earth, yet like poles repel. How can this dilemma be explained?

Public Comments

1. there is a something in CANADA, that the pole in ur comass attracts to!!!! not in the north pole silly!
2. easy, the compass point that is pointing north is really polarized to south, the just paint it red and tell you it means north.
3. its called the magnetosphere. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetosphere
4. The pole marked N on the compas is magnetically S
5. This is a really simple site but it explains what you are asking: http://home.interserv.com/~skyblade/wim.htm
6. The magnetic "north" pole of the Earth is actually the south pole of the Earth's magnetic field.
7. you are mistaken. The north indicator on a compass is - charged. The attraction is to what is called load stone or a massive deposit of magnetic material located near the north pole. However this load stone creeps along with the Earths surface as plate tectonics moves it along. This is why nautical charts have a compass rose on them, which instructs the user to add X number of degrees every year since the date of printing for the chart. This is called deviation.
8. It's called magnetic attraction. think of 2 magnets, one is N the other is S poles. they will attract each other. If one magnet (North) is HUGE it will attract a small south magnet. mount this small magnet on a low friction point and it will swing toward the north oriented magnet. By the way, it's not true north, it's a couple of degree's off. called declination
9. First of all magnetic north is not the same as the north pole. Also the magnetic field has changed many times over time, and will change again and again. Flip-flopping if you will. We are long overdue for another magnetic change. The high nickel content of the earth's spinning liquid metal core is what causes this to happen. Also the magentic field is not perfect like you might think, where it goes direcly in and out at the poles, it is quite variable in where it exits and enters the earth. I can't remember where I was going with this sorry. Oh, well... the point of the compass that you would want to go north would be the opposite of the magnetic north, not the same, or it WOULD repel.
10. Because the "North" Needle of a compass is the opposite pole from the North pole. It points north that way. Do not confuse magnetism with direction. It is easier to think of magnetism as Negative and Positive. By the way, Magnetic north isn't true north. It is a few degrees off. The further you go north, the worse it gets.
11. Ever since Admiral Byrd placed the large electro-magnet at the North Pole has this type of behavior been seen. Before then, the pointer on a compass would just dance around a little before settling in to point at one's own navel.
12. It is all in the nomenclature. For all practical purposes the compass needles are conveniently designated "north" because they point to the "north" magnetic pole (yes, friends, in Canadee). It is a little more involved than that , but again, it is in the selection of the designated name.