What are the poles of a magnet?

The poles of a magnet are the regions where the magnetic force is strongest, called the North and South poles.

In more detail, every magnet has two poles: the North pole and the South pole. These poles are the points where the magnetic field lines emerge and converge, respectively. The North pole of a magnet is the end that points towards the Earth's geographic North when the magnet is freely suspended. Conversely, the South pole points towards the Earth's geographic South.

The magnetic force is strongest at the poles because this is where the magnetic field lines are most concentrated. If you sprinkle iron filings around a magnet, you'll notice that the filings cluster most densely at the poles, visually demonstrating the strength of the magnetic field in these regions.

Magnets can be of various shapes, such as bar magnets, horseshoe magnets, or even disc magnets, but they all have these two poles. If you cut a magnet in half, each piece will still have a North and a South pole. This is because the magnetic properties are due to the alignment of tiny magnetic domains within the material, and cutting the magnet simply results in smaller magnets with their own North and South poles.

The interaction between the poles of different magnets follows a simple rule: like poles repel each other, while opposite poles attract. This means that the North pole of one magnet will repel the North pole of another magnet but will attract the South pole. This principle is fundamental in understanding how magnets interact with each other and with magnetic materials.

Understanding the poles of a magnet is crucial for many applications, from simple compasses used for navigation to complex electric motors and generators. The behaviour of magnetic poles underpins much of the technology we rely on today.