I just bought a really cool looking compass from Harbor Freight Tools. This baby. http://www.harborfreight.com/sundial-compass-96734.html
It looks really nice, like something from the 19th century. Even says West London on it. But there is a small problem.
I tried the compass and its very inaccurate. It points in different directions, and I tried it in a spot where I know the real direction of North, and it pointed in every direction on earth but North. What gives?
I used a magnet to test it and it reacts to the magnet just like a compass is supposed to. So why doesn't it work? I know its cheap, but so what? In theory you can make a compass from a cork with a magnetized needle in a bowl of water and it will point north. This device is supposedly made to be a little more accurate than the bowl of water, and yet it doesn't work.
Has anyone else bought this compass, or has any idea why it wouldn't work? I already started thinking that heck it might be all the insane amounts of electromagnetic waves surrounding us in the modern world and interferring, but that can't be the reason why.
It looks really nice, like something from the 19th century. Even says West London on it. But there is a small problem.
I tried the compass and its very inaccurate. It points in different directions, and I tried it in a spot where I know the real direction of North, and it pointed in every direction on earth but North. What gives?
I used a magnet to test it and it reacts to the magnet just like a compass is supposed to. So why doesn't it work? I know its cheap, but so what? In theory you can make a compass from a cork with a magnetized needle in a bowl of water and it will point north. This device is supposedly made to be a little more accurate than the bowl of water, and yet it doesn't work.
Has anyone else bought this compass, or has any idea why it wouldn't work? I already started thinking that heck it might be all the insane amounts of electromagnetic waves surrounding us in the modern world and interferring, but that can't be the reason why.