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Producing and Measuring Elecrical Quantities
Magnetism and Electromagnetism

Section 2-2 Magnetic Poles

The magnetic force surrounding a magnet is not uniform. There exists a great concentration of force at each end of the magnet and a very weak force at the center. Proof of this fact can be obtained by dipping a magnet into iron filings. It is found that many filings will cling to the ends of the magnet while very few adhere to the center. The two ends, which are the regions of concentrated lines of force, are called the poles of the magnet. Magnets have two magnetic poles and both poles have equal magnetic strength.

Iron filings cling to the poles of a magnet.

Law of Magnetic Poles. If a bar magnet is suspended freely on a string, as shown below, it will align itself in a north and south direction. When this experiment is repeated, it is found that the same pole of the magnet will always swing toward the north magnetic pole of the earth. Therefore, it is called the north-seeking pole or simply the north pole. The other pole of the magnet is the south-seeking pole or the south pole.

A bar magnet acts as a compass.

A practical use of the directional characteristic of the magnet is the compass, a device in which a freely rotating magnetized needle indicator points toward the North Pole. The realization that the poles of a suspended magnet always move to a definite position gives an indication that the opposite poles of a magnet have opposite magnetic polarity.

The law previously stated regarding the attraction and repulsion of charged bodies may also be applied to magnetism if the pole is considered as a charge. The north pole of a magnet will always be attracted to the south pole of another magnet and will show a repulsion to a north pole. The law for magnetic poles is: Like poles repel, unlike poles attract.

The Earth's Magnetic Poles. The fact that a compass needle always aligns itself in a particular direction, regardless of its location on earth, indicates that the earth is a huge natural magnet. The distribution of the magnetic force about the earth is the same as that which might be produced by a giant bar magnet running through the center of the earth. The magnetic axis of the earth is located about 15� from its geographical axis thereby locating the magnetic poles some distance from the geographical poles. The ability of the north pole of the compass needle to point toward the north geographical pole is due to the presence of the magnetic pole nearby. This magnetic pole is named the magnetic North Pole. However, in actuality, it must have the polarity of a south magnetic pole since it attracts the north pole of a compass needle. The reason for this conflict in terminology can be traced to the early users of the compass. Knowing little about magnetic effects, they called the end of the compass needle that pointed towards the north geographical pole, the north pole of a compass. With our present knowledge of magnetism, we know the north pole of a compass needle (a small bar magnet) can be attracted only by an unlike magnetic pole, that is, a pole of south magnetic polarity