Why would a magnet hung on a string point north?

Answer 1

Actually, they point at the magnetic north and south poles. The Magnetic North Pole is currently somewhere north-east of Canada. The naming of the poles on a magnet is confusing. The north pole would actually be better called the north seeking pole. Answer. Because the Earth itself acts like a massive magnet with its south pole at the Magnetic North Pole and vice versa. Remember 'like poles repel, unlike poles attract'.

Answer 2

The simple answer is that the earth's North Pole (or, more strictly, 'Magnetic North) is a location, and not its magnetic polarity. Its magnetic polarity is actually south and, because 'unlike poles attract', it attracts the north pole of a magnet.

Answer 3

I think that,

North part of a magnet always faces the north pole as there is a huge collection of negative charges at the north pole and the north part of the magnet is positively charged.we also know that oppositive charges attract each other.so the north pole attracts the north part of the magnet and vice-versa.....

Answer 4

The magnetic iron core inside the earth spins with the earth rotation, any spinning iron mass creates a magnetic field. This is the Earth's magnetic field and is responsible for many things, such as the Aurorae and protecting us from the majority of the dangerous stuff the Sun shoots at us.

This mangetic field forms a spherical shell around the earth, starting from the 'North Pole' of the field and ending at the south pole. These poles coincide (roughly) with the geographic north and south poles.

The magnet is attracted to the field like all magnets are attracted to each other. Usually this effect is barely noticeable with the magnetic field of the earth being so small, but it will work on a string, an axel, or in water etc. This is how a compass works.

Note, The North pole of the earth actually is a magnetic south pole, so that the north pole of a magnet will point to it. Opposites attract!

Hope that was what you were looking for.

Answer 5

In magnet , like poles repels each other and unlike poles attract each other.

North pole and South pole are dissimilar poles , so they attract each other.

Answer 6

The magnet aligns itself with the Earth's magnetic field, which typically points north to south. The north-seeking pole of the magnet is drawn towards the Earth's magnetic north pole.