I remember reading that an MRI’s magnetic field is more powerful than the earth’s, so shouldn’t my compas’ needle be more attracted by MRIs rather than the magnetic north, and therefore point towards it?
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The intensity of the magnetic field dissipates quickly the further away you are from it. It’s identical to how from up close, a candle is brighter than a far away bright light or the brightest star in the sky.
If you are close enough to an MRI it will affect the compass. Compared to the earth’s magnetic field, the MRI is so extraordinarily weak that you don’t have to travel far from the machine for the earth’s magnetic field to be orders of magnitude stronger than the magnetic field from the machine.
You might then ask where on earth can you go to experience a magnetic field as strong as an MRI? You certainly won’t experience that on the surface. If you dig a hole towards the center of the earth the magnetic field will increase in intensity and at some depth it will be stronger than standing right next to an MRI.
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