PCS 130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Geographical Pole
Document Summary
Every magnet, regardless of shape, has 2 poles (north and south) Poles exert forces upon each other (like poles repel, unlike poles attract) Poles receive names based on way they behave in earth"s magnetic field (magnetic north pole points toward earth"s north geographical pole and vice versa) The force between 2 poles varies as the inverse square of the distance between them. A single magnetic pole has never been isolated (magnetic poles are always found in pairs, no matter how many times a magnet is cut each piece has a north and south pole) Magnetic field lines point from the north pole to the south pole. The si unit of magnetic field is the tesla. Currents in the molten iron core of the earth allow it to act as a large magnet. The magnetic poles of the earth are slightly offset from the poles of the rotation axis.
