So, in an electric field the direction is away or towards the source of the field because if you put a charge in the field, the charge will move away or towards source.
In a magnetic field, though, I can’t see what “north to south” means, or why the induction lines on a magnet are circular and have a direction.
If the direction is north to south, shouldn’t it mean that something in the north pole will move itself to the south pole? Also, if we put a metal close to a magnet it would be attracted towards it, so shouldn’t the direction of the field be towards the magnetic source, like in a electric field?
In: Physics
Electric field lines describe the movement of an electrostatic monopole in the field. A positive or negative charge placed at a point will be pushed in the direction of the lines. While a magnetic monopole does not exist (that we know of), magnetic field lines are conceptually the same. Ferromagnetic things will align with the direction of a magnetic field – a small iron filing will point along the magnetic field lines, as the two ends of it behave like two attached monopoles (a dipole) and pull in opposite directions along the field line.
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