Did you know that compasses are not directed towards the real North Pole but towards the magnetic pole, which is located far away from the real pole? We invite you to measure the position of the North Magnetic Pole in collaboration with other high schools.

Participating high schools will measure the angle difference between the magnetic north and true north, also known as declination angle, using simple tools such as a compass, a watch, and a measuring tape. Thanks to the large size of the United States and its proximity to the magnetic pole we expect declination angle to vary significantly from east coast to west coast. All the measurements obtained from different high schools throughout the United States will be posted on this web site. Students will then be expected to use the posted results to calculate the location of the North Magnetic Pole.

In addition, a lesson plan will be available for the high school teachers. This can serve as a guideline for introducing the material to the students. You can contact us at northpole@umich.edu if you have any questions or suggestions.

We hope you will enjoy doing a global measurement together with other high school students.

The project is supported by The National Science Foundation. The web page is currently maintained by Cagliyan Kurdak and John Lucas. We also thank Michael Stagliano and Rick Stauffer for their help in preparation of this web site.