Magnet question

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db

Original Poster:

724 posts

170 months

Monday 24th July 2017
quotequote all
Hi all,

I'm hoping someone can explain the following for me cos it doesn't make sense to me.

I was playing with magnetix type thing and made a triangle.
When the rods were oriented N-S, none of the connecting balls were magnetised enough to attract another ball, but when I reversed one of the rods, the 2 balls at the ends of the reversed rod became magnetised enough to attract another ball.

2 rods cannot be connected N-N or S-S unless there is a ball between them - why?
Why does this make the balls magnetised?

2 rods can be connected N-S with or without a ball between them, but the ball remains non-magnetised - why?

Entirely curious now and hoping I've not had a brain fart and missed something very simple.

V8LM

5,174 posts

210 months

Tuesday 25th July 2017
quotequote all
Magnetic field lines are closed loops between N and S.

Put two magnets together NS, with a ball bearing between them, and the field lines go from one to the other; i.e. they don't loop out into the space beyond the ball. This is effectively a longer single bar magnet with a bend in the middle where the ball is.

Put two magnets together NN connected to a ball bearing and then field lines loop from both magnets, through the ball, and around to their south poles in the free space. This is effectively a larger single bar magnet with the ball at the end.

db

Original Poster:

724 posts

170 months

Wednesday 26th July 2017
quotequote all
V8LM said:
Magnetic field lines are closed loops between N and S.

Put two magnets together NS, with a ball bearing between them, and the field lines go from one to the other; i.e. they don't loop out into the space beyond the ball. This is effectively a longer single bar magnet with a bend in the middle where the ball is.

Put two magnets together NN connected to a ball bearing and then field lines loop from both magnets, through the ball, and around to their south poles in the free space. This is effectively a larger single bar magnet with the ball at the end.
Thank you Sir, that makes sense.