What exactly is it that determines that a magnet has only 2 poles?

[Mr_Bojingles]

I have a few questions about magnetics. Let's say I have 4 individual magnets of equal size.
1.) When all 4 individual magnets come together and are held together by their magnetic force do they form 1 whole magnet with two poles or do they remain individual magnetics each with their couple of poles?

2.) What exactly is it that determines that a magnet has only 2 poles? Is it the fact that their electrons are connected through the electron pool? Thats my guess.

3.) What determines which pole ends up where? Let's say I have a rectangular magnet.

N == S

What If I slice a thin strip of the end of the south pole? What determines whether the north pole of the strip will be at the top or bottom of the strip? I assume the poles of any rectangular magnet will be at either the top and bottom rather than the sides.

Sorry for the ****ty presentation of that question.

 

[ice109]

I have a few questions about magnetics. Let's say I have 4 individual magnets of equal size.
1.) When all 4 individual magnets come together and are held together by their magnetic force do they form 1 whole magnet with two poles or do they remain individual magnetics each with their couple of poles?

2.) What exactly is it that determines that a magnet has only 2 poles? Is it the fact that their electrons are connected through the electron pool? Thats my guess.

3.) What determines which pole ends up where? Let's say I have a rectangular magnet.

N == S

What If I slice a thin strip of the end of the south pole? What determines whether the north pole of the strip will be at the top or bottom of the strip? I assume the poles of any rectangular magnet will be at either the top and bottom rather than the sides.

Sorry for the ****ty presentation of that question.

1) they will form a compound magnet which poles at the ends, the fields will be conducted through the middle 2 magnets so it will act like one magnet
2)magnetization is dependent on spin or electrons, spin is quantized to either +1/2 or -1/2.
3)it will have the same exact pole orientation as the magnet you sliced it off of. what determines is the spin orienation of the magnetized regions in the slice. since they came off of the bigger magnet they will have the same orientation as the original. this is of course only if it is a permanent magnet.

 

[m2003]

I can provide answers to your questions about magnetics.

1. When individual magnets come together, they do not form one whole magnet with two poles. Each magnet will still have its own set of poles. However, the magnetic forces of the individual magnets may interact with each other, resulting in a stronger or weaker overall magnetic field.

2. The number of poles in a magnet is determined by its molecular structure. In a typical magnet, the atoms are arranged in a way that creates two distinct poles - a north pole and a south pole. This is due to the alignment of the electrons in the atoms. The electrons have a property called spin, which creates a tiny magnetic field. When the spins of the electrons in a material are aligned in the same direction, it creates a macroscopic magnetic field with two poles.

3. The orientation of the poles in a rectangular magnet is determined by the direction of the magnetic field lines within the material. These field lines are influenced by the alignment of the electrons in the atoms. If you slice off a thin strip of the south pole of a rectangular magnet, the north pole of the strip will be at the top or bottom depending on the direction of the field lines in that particular section of the magnet. The poles of a rectangular magnet will typically be at the top and bottom rather than the sides because of the way the atoms are arranged in the material.

I hope this helps clarify the concept of magnetic poles for you. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.