Determine the magnet's poles from an image

[kakadas]

Homework Statement

Homework Equations

Where are the north and south poles of this magnet?

Where are the north and south poles of the wire's magnetic field?

The Attempt at a Solution

I used the Right hand rule to determine the magnetic field of the wire, but I got confused when trying to find the north and south poles of the wire's magnetic field...

 

[AJ Bentley]

It's a trick question. Does that help?

Think about the lines of magnetic field from a wire carrying a current. Where do they begin and end?

 

[kakadas]

So, no one can crack this?

I'm sure this is solvable, i just lack the knowledge abut the lines of a magnetic field..

Anyone?

 

[Basic_Physics]

Magnetic field lines are continuous, that is they link up with themselves. So even with a "normal" magnet the lines go right into and through the material. We say that the region where the lines exit the material is the north and where they enter is the south pole, but in the case of the wire the lines do not enter or leave it, they just encircle it, so there is no entry or exit point and thus no poles.

 

[Nickie]

To determine the poles of a magnet from an image, you can use a compass. The end of the compass needle that points towards the magnet's north pole is the south pole of the magnet, and the end that points towards the magnet's south pole is the north pole of the magnet.

In terms of the wire's magnetic field, the right hand rule can be used to determine the direction of the magnetic field. The thumb of your right hand points in the direction of the current flowing through the wire, and your fingers curl in the direction of the magnetic field. The north pole of the wire's magnetic field is where the field lines curve in towards the wire, and the south pole is where the field lines curve outwards.