Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

aye I was wondering why some electromagnets dont have an obvious negative side. Like when you put an electromagnet next to another magnet or electromagnet, at what angle do they repel each other? All of the electromagnets I make only attract other magnets but never repel...

for example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHH84pMvweo

where would the negative side of a magnet like this be?

thx

Hi spiderman333,
For a electromagnet, there's a north(+) and south (-) pole just like a normal permanent magnet. The orientation of the North Pole and South Pole are based on the direction of current flow (Positive to negative).

Please take a look at this:
https://www.teachengineering.org/activi ... _activity1

Good Luck with your experiment and please post again if you have any other questions.
Willey