Question

How are the north and south poles of a magnet located? Explain.

Answer 1

Suspend a bar magnet with a silk thread from a wooden stand as shown in the figure. The magnet swings for some time and then eventually comes to rest in a particular direction i.e., north-south direction. If we disturb the magnet a little, the magnet again comes to rest in the north-south direction.

The end of the magnet which points towards the north is called the north-seeking pole or simply the north pole and the end which points towards the south is called the south seeking pole or simply the south pole. The north and south poles are marked by the letters N and S respectively.