After reading about the therapeutic effects of certain magnets, I decided to order one for myself. When the magnet arrived, there was a label on one side. This label was simply, a large letter, “N”. I wondered if the letter was indicating the north pole of the magnet or the north-pointing side of the magnet.
To check this out, I stuck the magnet onto a piece of styrafoam and then floated the styrafoam/magnet boat in a bowl of water. After giving the boat a light twist, this circular boat began to seek a steady orientation. When it settled into a stable position, the side of the magnet that was labeled with an “N” was pointing to the north pole of planet Earth.
Now, it was clear what the large letter, “N” stood for. This letter indicated the north-pointing side of the magnet. This makes sense from an electrical/electronics engineering perspective. By convention, the north-pointing pole of a magnet is usually marked with something, like a bit of red paint. In this case, the north-pointing side of the magnet was labeled with a large letter, “N”.
Floating the magnet in a bowl of water was one way of identifying the south pole of the magnet. The south pole of the magnet was the side that pointed to the north, and was labeled with a large letter, “N”. As a check for this conclusion, I decided to look at the problem from a second perspective. For good measure, it is often a good idea to look at a problem from two or more perspectives. By example, what if I set this experiment up at night in a strange area, and I did not know which way was north?
A second test for the this new magnet was made with a simple compass. The compass has a bit of red paint on the north-pointing end of the magnet. Because magnetic opposites attract, the north-pointing end of the compass magnet should point away from the south pole of the new magnet. And this is exactly what occurred.
The north-pointing side of a magnet is the south pole of the magnet.
When you look at things form a variety of perspectives you can gain new insights.
Why should we care about finding the north pole of a magnet? To find the answer to this question for yourself, consider the different effects of the north pole of a magnet and the south pole of a magnet. The north pole of a magnet is associated with a soothing, inflammation reducing effect. The south pole is associated with stimulation. If you would like to reduce inflammation, then the north pole is the pole for you. The north pole of a stable magnet has a negative B field. But B fields are another story.
Relevant Reading
IEEE Standard Dictionary of Electrical and Electronics terms. ANSI/IEEE Std 100-1984
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