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TOPIC 12: Magnetism

Tip 1:

Some students are confused by the Earth's magnetic poles: where is the North and where is the South?

The answer is that the Earth's internal magnet's South Pole is near the Geographical North (ie. at the Arctic where the Polar Bears live); whereas the internal magnetic North Pole is near the Geographical South (ie. at the Antarctic where the Penguins live).

The North end of a compass needle will be attracted by the South end of the Earth's magnetic field, which is situated near the Geographical North (Polar Bears). Hence the North end of the compass will point towards the North (Polar Bears).

However, note that the magnetic axis is not exactly aligned with the geographical exist.