Practical - Magnetic Poles Always Occur in Pairs

Aim:

To show that the magnetic poles always occur in pairs and cannot be separated.

Materials Required:

• Bar magnet
• Iron filings or small iron pins
• White sheet of paper
• Marker or chalk

Procedure:

1. Take a bar magnet and identify its North (N) and South (S) poles.
2. Break the magnet into two equal pieces (Teacher Demonstration only) or use two cut pieces of a broken magnet.
3. Test each piece by bringing iron filings or small iron pins near its ends.
4. Observe that each piece attracts iron filings at both ends.
5. Identify the poles of each piece using another known magnet.
6. Repeat the process by imagining or using smaller pieces (if available).

Diagram: 

Observations:

• Each broken piece has two poles—a North pole and a South pole.
• No piece has only one pole.
• Every smaller piece behaves like a complete magnet.

Conclusion:
Magnetic poles always occur in pairs. Even if a magnet is broken into smaller pieces, each piece has both a North pole and a South pole. Therefore, magnetic poles cannot be separated.