Poles of a Magnet

What are Poles?

The region of a magnet where the attraction of the magnet is strongest are known as poles of Magnet.

• A magnet has 2 poles:

North Pole:

End of the magnet which points towards the north direction when the magnet is suspended freely is known as the north pole.

It is denoted by “N”.

South Pole:

End of the magnet which points towards the south direction when the magnet is suspended freely is known as the south pole.

It is denoted by “S”.

Activity to show presence of Poles

• If a bar magnet is put into heaps of iron filing , then iron-filing will stick to it.
• The maximum amount of iron filings clings to two ends of the bar magnet.
• The force of attraction of a magnet is strongest near the two ends.
• These two ends are known as the poles of the magnet.