Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
LiveScience
LiveScience
Laurel Hamers

Why do magnets have north and south poles?

Red and blue bar magnet or physics magnetic with iron powder magnetic field on white background.

Cutting a bar magnet in half won't get rid of its poles. It'll just produce two magnets, each with a north pole that will be attracted to the other magnet's south pole, and vice versa. 

It's this fundamental property of attraction that makes magnets useful for so many purposes, from holding a party invitation to a refrigerator to performing medical imaging.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.