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When a bar magnet is broken into two pieces, which of the following are true?
A) The magnet loses its magnetism
B) The magnet has only north pole left
C) The magnet has only south pole left
D) The magnet turns into two new bar magnets
The magnet turns into two new bar magnets
When a bar magnet is broken into two pieces, each piece becomes an independent, complete new bar magnet having its own North and South poles. Magnetic monopoles do not exist in nature, so breaking a magnet can never isolate a single magnetic pole.
When a bar magnet is broken into two pieces, each piece becomes an independent, complete new bar magnet having its own North and South poles. Magnetic monopoles do not exist in nature, so breaking a magnet can never isolate a single magnetic pole.
тИЗтЛЕB=0 тАФ Gauss's Law for Magnetism (magnetic monopoles do not exist)
╬ж=тИоBтЛЕdA=0 тАФ Net magnetic flux through any closed surface is always zero
Magnetism originates from atomic-level magnetic dipoles (unpaired electron spins and domain alignment). Breaking a macroscopic bar magnet merely separates these aligned domains into two smaller groups, each retaining aligned dipoles with an opposite magnetic pole at each fresh boundary.
Magnetic poles always exist in equal and opposite pairs (dipoles).
Isolated magnetic monopoles have never been observed in classical electromagnetic theory.
The pole strength (m) of each broken piece remains the same as the original, but the magnetic length becomes half (LnewтАЛ=L/2).
The new magnetic dipole moment of each broken piece becomes half (MnewтАЛ=M/2) when broken transversely.
Option A is incorrect because the material retains its domain alignment and intrinsic ferromagnetic magnetization.
Option B and Option C are incorrect because magnetic monopoles cannot exist isolatedly; a North pole cannot exist without a South pole.
D is correct тАФ Breaking a magnet creates two separate pieces, each developing its own North and South poles, thus forming two new bar magnets.
Remember that Gauss's law for magnetism, тИЗтЛЕB=0, directly implies that magnetic field lines form continuous closed loops, reinforcing that isolated magnetic poles do not exist in magnetic circuit calculations.