Like poles of magnets repel each other, while unlike poles attract.
Share
Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.
Like poles of magnets repel each other, while unlike poles attract.
The specific observation about magnetic poles mentioned is that when a compass needle is freely suspended, its north pole points towards the Earth’s magnetic north pole, which is effectively the south pole of the Earth’s magnetic field. This observation is based on the behavior of a magnetic compass in response to the Earth’s magnetic field.
The convention for labeling magnetic poles is derived from this observation. The end of the compass needle that points toward the Earth’s geographic north is considered the magnetic north pole of the compass. This naming convention is maintained to avoid confusion and align with the traditional use of the terms “north” and “south” in magnetism. Therefore, the end of the compass needle that points north is referred to as the magnetic north pole, even though it behaves like the south pole of a magnetic dipole.