Dip a bar magnet into a box of steel pins. Pins crowd onto the two ends. Almost none cling to the middle.
So far a magnet has acted as one piece. A closer look shows its two ends matter most. This lesson names them.
The two ends of the magnet behave differently from its middle. The two ends of a magnet are called its poles.
On a labeled magnet, N marks the north pole. S marks the south pole.
The poles are there even when nothing is painted on. An unmarked magnet still has a north pole and a south pole.
A bar magnet has a north pole at one end and a south pole at the other. A horseshoe magnet has a north pole at one tip and a south pole at the other tip. And a round button magnet has a north pole on one face and a south pole on the other.
A bar magnet's paint has worn off. Which poles does it have?
Write down the fact:
Every magnet has a north pole and a south pole, labeled or not.
The paint only names the poles. It does not make them.
It has two poles: a north pole and a south pole.
A magnet's N mark has rubbed away. Does the magnet still have a north pole?
A small block magnet comes out of a cabinet latch. Which kinds of pole does it have?
Write down the fact:
Every magnet has a north pole and a south pole.
The block magnet is a magnet, so the fact applies to it.
A north pole and a south pole.
That is where the pins crowded: onto the magnet's two poles.
What are the two ends of a bar magnet called?
Which statement is true of every magnet?
A student finds an unmarked magnet in a kit. Which labels belong on its two ends?
A horseshoe magnet's two tips are compared. Which statement is true?