What is magnetic north?

• A. The angular difference between true north and magnetic north at a given location.
• B. The direction a magnetic compass points, which varies by location.
• C. The geographic north toward the North Pole.
• D. The direction to the South Pole.

Answer: (B)

Magnetic north is the direction a magnetic compass points at a given location. Because Earth’s magnetic field isn’t aligned perfectly with its geographic poles and it changes over time, the direction that a compass points varies from place to place and moves slowly over years. The magnetic north pole itself is a moving geographic spot near the Arctic, not the same as the geographic North Pole. The angular difference between true north and magnetic north at a location is a separate concept called magnetic declination, which is why the other ideas don’t describe magnetic north itself. The geographic north points toward the North Pole, which is a fixed reference, not what a compass indicates.