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Magnetic needle   /mægnˈɛtɪk nˈidəl/   Listen
adjective
Magnetical, Magnetic  adj.  
1.
Pertaining to the magnet; possessing the properties of the magnet, or corresponding properties; as, a magnetic bar of iron; a magnetic needle.
2.
Of or pertaining to, or characterized by, the earth's magnetism; as, the magnetic north; the magnetic meridian.
3.
Capable of becoming a magnet; susceptible to magnetism; as, the magnetic metals.
4.
Endowed with extraordinary personal power to excite the feelings and to win the affections; attractive; inducing attachment. "She that had all magnetic force alone."
5.
Having, susceptible to, or induced by, animal magnetism, so called; hypnotic; as, a magnetic sleep. See Magnetism. (Archaic)
Magnetic amplitude, Magnetic attraction, Magnetic dip, Magnetic induction, etc. See under Amplitude, Attraction, etc.
Magnetic battery, a combination of bar or horseshoe magnets with the like poles adjacent, so as to act together with great power.
Magnetic compensator, a contrivance connected with a ship's compass for compensating or neutralizing the effect of the iron of the ship upon the needle.
Magnetic curves, curves indicating lines of magnetic force, as in the arrangement of iron filings between the poles of a powerful magnet.
Magnetic elements.
(a)
(Chem. Physics) Those elements, as iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium, manganese, etc., which are capable or becoming magnetic.
(b)
(Physics) In respect to terrestrial magnetism, the declination, inclination, and intensity.
(c)
See under Element.
Magnetic fluid, the hypothetical fluid whose existence was formerly assumed in the explanations of the phenomena of magnetism; no longer considered a meaningful concept.
Magnetic iron, or Magnetic iron ore. (Min.) Same as Magnetite.
Magnetic needle, a slender bar of steel, magnetized and suspended at its center on a sharp-pointed pivot, or by a delicate fiber, so that it may take freely the direction of the magnetic meridian. It constitutes the essential part of a compass, such as the mariner's and the surveyor's.
Magnetic poles, the two points in the opposite polar regions of the earth at which the direction of the dipping needle is vertical.
Magnetic pyrites. See Pyrrhotite.
Magnetic storm (Terrestrial Physics), a disturbance of the earth's magnetic force characterized by great and sudden changes.
magnetic tape (Electronics), a ribbon of plastic material to which is affixed a thin layer of powder of a material which can be magnetized, such as ferrite. Such tapes are used in various electronic devices to record fluctuating voltages, which can be used to represent sounds, images, or binary data. Devices such as audio casette recorders, videocasette recorders, and computer data storage devices use magnetic tape as an inexpensive medium to store data. Different magnetically susceptible materials are used in such tapes.
Magnetic telegraph, a telegraph acting by means of a magnet. See Telegraph.



noun
magnetic needle  n.  A slender magnet suspended in a magnetic compass on a low-friction mounting; used to indicate the direction of the earth's magnetic pole.






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Magnetic needle" Quotes from Famous Books



... magnetic meridians cross, the only phenomenon produced is the vertical position of the magnetic needle in two similar points of the terrestrial globe. This phenomenon, already proved by observations made on the spot, must be identical in ...
— An Antarctic Mystery • Jules Verne

... stretch of ocean that to Daughtry was like all other stretches of ocean and unidentifiable from them. No land broke the sea-rim. The ship the centre, the horizon was the invariable and eternal circle of the world. The magnetic needle in the binnacle was the point on which the Mary Turner ever pivoted. The sun rose in the undoubted east and set in the undoubted west, corrected and proved, of course, by declination, deviation, and variation; and the ...
— Michael, Brother of Jerry • Jack London

... Palos, in Andalusia, on a Friday, August 3, 1492, first steering to the Canary Islands, and then standing due west. In September, to the amazement of all on board, the compass was seen to "vary": an important scientific discovery—viz., that the magnetic needle does not always point to the pole-star. Some writers have imagined that the compass was for the first time utilized for a long journey by Columbus, but the occult power of the magnetic needle or "lodestone" had been known for ages before the fifteenth century. ...
— The Story of Extinct Civilizations of the West • Robert E. Anderson

... figure we have a representation of an Egyptian-looking man holding a cup before him. We shall see, as we proceed, that the magnetic needle, or "mariner's compass," dates back to the days of Hercules, and that it consisted of a bar of magnetized iron floating upon a piece of wood in a cup. It is possible that in this ancient relic of the Bronze Age we have a representation of the ...
— The Antediluvian World • Ignatius Donnelly

... as to cause general alarm. The detonations were accompanied by tremblings of the ground, of buildings and various objects contained in dwellings; but it was generally admitted that these did not proceed from earthquake shocks, but from atmospheric vibrations. No deviation of the magnetic needle was observed at the Meteorological Institute of Batavia; but a vertical oscillation was apparent, and persons who listened with the ear placed on the ground, even during the most violent detonations, could ...
— Volcanoes: Past and Present • Edward Hull


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