ELI5, why aren’t all the paper clips flying towards magnetic north but my compass is pulled anywhere in the world?

Question

Conversely, the moons gravity affects the largest bodies of water on earth but yet nothing else.

In: 1

Answer 1

The Earth’s magnetic field is actually quite weak. It has a field strength of around 35-65 uT. A fridge magnet is around 1000 uT–which aren’t particularly strong magnets either.

Try moving a paperclip lying on a table with a fridge magnet from even an inch away. The paper clip is unlikely to move at all.