Question

what to do observe if north pole of a bar magnet is brought near the compass?​

Answer 1

This can be a little confusing since it would seem that what we call the North Pole of the Earth is actually its magnetically south pole. Remember that a compass is a magnet and the north pole of a magnet is attracted to the south pole of a magnet. This situation is also seen in Experiment 1 & 2. In Experiment 2, when you move the north pole of a magnet toward the south pole of the other magnet, the two magnets attract. However, in Experiment 3, when you move the south pole of a magnet toward the south pole of another magnet, the two magnets repel each other and you cannot move them together. The rule for magnetic poles is that like poles repel each other and unlike poles attract each other.

Use of a Compass

Since the north seeking pole of a compass always wants to point north, then the compass could be useful in helping us navigate. With a compass we can always tell which direction is north and if you know north, then you know all of the other directions. A compass and a map are essential tools when hiking in the woods. Since the north seeking pole of the compass needle is always attracted to the north, then the earth must be like a huge magnet with a magnetic pole at each end. This is exactly the case but magnetic north is slightly different from the north axis of rotation of the earth. Scientists believe that the movement of the Earth's liquid iron core and other things are responsible for the magnetic field around the earth.

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Partial support for this work was provided by the NSF-ATE (Advanced Technological Education) program through grant #DUE 0101709. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those