Final answer:
The tilt of a magnetic needle with latitude demonstrates the inclination angle of Earth's magnetic field and helps in understanding the declination, which navigators use to adjust their compass readings for accurate navigation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tilt of the magnetic needle changing with latitude helps to illustrate the inclination angle of the Earth's magnetic field. The inclination angle is the angle between the horizontal plane and the magnetic field lines of the Earth. As one moves from the equator towards the poles, the inclination increases, causing the magnetic needle to tilt more. The Earth's magnetic field resembles that of a bar magnet, with the magnetic north pole being geographically closest to the south pole of this hypothetical Earth magnet. This is due to the fact that the north pole of a compass needle points toward a magnetic south pole, which in Earth's case, is near the geographic North Pole.Moreover, the phenomenon of magnetic declination, which is the angle between magnetic north (where a compass needle points) and true north (the direction along Earth's surface towards the geographic North Pole), can cause a compass to deviate from true north. In regions where the magnetic field lines are nearly vertical, such as near the magnetic poles, the needle of the compass will not rest horizontally and the tilt gets more pronounced. This phenomenon helps sailors and navigators to correct their compass readings based on their latitude to adjust for the deviation from true north.