Episode Details

We're going to work out why the North Pole is secretly a south pole, using nothing but the rules of magnets. Then we'll find out that the Earth isn't really a magnet like the one on your fridge at all. It's something you can build on a kitchen table.

The 'wrong' pole name is the rules working correctly. The planet's magnet isn't a lump of magnetised rock but moving metal, the same idea as the coil you can build with a nail, a battery and some wire. The listener leaves able to say which way field lines run, why the North Pole is magnetically south, and the three ways to make an electromagnet stronger.

Sources:

• https://www.esa-spaceweather.net/why-earths-magnetic-north-pole-keeps-drifting/
• https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/wandering-geomagnetic-poles
• https://www.kinocranes.com/how-are-electromagnets-used-in-scrap-yards/

Source: Episode 11 - Physics Level 8, Magnets and Electromagnets (11/17)
Style: Exam prep
Length: 999 words, 6 min target
Generated: 2026-10-25