Definitions for magnetic needle
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
magnet′ic nee′dle(n.)
a slender magnetized steel rod that when adjusted to swing in a horizontal plane, as in a compass, indicates the direction of the earth's magnetic fields.
Category: Electricity and Magnetism
Origin of magnetic needle:
1840–50
Princeton's WordNet
magnetic needle(noun)
a slender magnet suspended in a magnetic compass on a mounting with little friction; used to indicate the direction of the earth's magnetic pole
The Standard Electrical Dictionary
Magnetic Needle
A magnet with a cup or small depression at its centre and poised upon a sharp pin so as to be free to rotate or oscillate in a horizontal plane. The cup is often made of agate. Left free to take any position, it places its magnetic axis in the magnetic meridian.
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