AboutDan Fink Expertise Though my experience is mostly in the fields of electricity, magnetism, and physics, I have a broad science background. My career is in the field of alternative power sources -- solar, wind, water and battery power. But any questions about electricity, magnetism, energy conservation, power generation, electric motors, and even general physics are very welcome--especially from kids. They ask the best questions of all! I pride myself in answering science questions accurately, with ideas for SAFE, easy experiments that kids can perform by themselves--and that let them prove the answers to their own satisfaction. I think science should be fun, and available to everyone, regardless of age.
Experience I have volunteered in our local public schools for 5 years. I currently make presentations at our schools about electricity and magnetism, with a focus on solar, wind, water and other alternative power sources. I try to demonstrate at our schools how easy it is to make electricity, with simple devices using spinning magnets and coils of wire--powered by wind, water, bicycles, gerbils...etc. And of course solar panels! I am the webmaster of Otherpower.com, an alternative energy website. I have lived 10 miles from the nearest power pole for 11 years--I make all my own electricity from scratch with sun, wind and water.
Publications Otherpower.com
Wondermagnet.com
Co author of the book "Homebrew Wind Power" ISBN 978-0-9819201-0-8
My articles appear regularly in such magazines as Home Power and Back Home Education/Credentials BA Technical Journalism
Answer Hi Tim
(parts of this answer are copied from one of my answers from a couple weeks ago)
The source of the Earth's magnetic field is not well understood -- it is probably from a combination of heat effects and the Earth's spinning outer core of molten metal, mostly nickel and iron. If you could SEE the Earth's magnetic field, it would look very much like the field from a bar magnet, which you can visualize with a magnet and iron filings. But the Earth's field is distorted by charged particles from the sun -- it is "blown back" just like as if it was in a real wind. The area behind where the solar wind is first deflected (and changes the shape of) the Earth's magnetic field is called the Magnetosphere.
You can detect the Earth's magnetic field with a compass -- the needle always aligns itself toward magnetic north. Magnetic north is NOT the same as geographic north (the north pole), in fact magnetic north moves a little bit every year. The difference in your compass reading between geographic north and magnetic north is called "magnetic declination," and when navigating with a compass and map it's very important to know the current magnetic declination for your area.
