Is there like a “standard” that it’s compared to or???
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A magnetic compass needle will point with its south pole to Earth’s north magnetic pole. This way you can determine which of the compass magnet ends is north. If you then bring a magnet close to the compass, the needle’s north will turn towards it (if you bring the magnet’s south pole closer) or away from it (if you bring the north pole closer).
It might seem a bit misleading because the Earth’s north magnetic pole is actually the south pole if you think of the Earth as a giant magnet. It’s because the magnets’ north was defined as the side of a magnetic needle that points to (is attracted to) the north direction in a compass.
The reference is the Earth’s magnetic field, that’s why we call the magnet’s ends north and south poles to begin with.
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