Re: Magnetic Polarity Re: Magnetic quenching.

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Daniel Ullfig" <DUllfig-at-sbcglobal-dot-net> 


 >     The definition of North Magnetic Pole is That Which Points Geographic
 >     North.  Period.
 >
 >     THIS means that the Earth's Geographic North Pole is associated with
 >     a SOUTH magnetic polarity there (actually: Northern Canada, or the
 >     nearby ice pack...  8)>>)
 >
 >     yes: it is counterintuitive and mind bending.  Also true..
 >     Had it cross checked by a physicist once.  For experimental
 >     verification:
 >     Wind a solenoid, observing 'left hand' rule for winding direction,
 >     connect DC PSU in Specified Polarity and check compass...


The concept of north and south poles is completely arbitrary; Physicists
could have started by saying "the earth is a giant magnet, and the north
pole coincides with the magnetic north pole". then we would have decided
that the south pole of a magnet is that which points to the north; finaly,
when we discovered that electricity produces a magnetic field, we would have
discovered the "right hand rule" instead of the "left hand rule", and it
would all have worked out anyways. In physics, some rules are just
arbitrary, and everyone agrees to them.

Dan