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Asked by Crazyduck1607 to Heather, Helen, Hugh, Jane, Julian on 7 Nov 2014.
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Julian Onions answered on 7 Nov 2014:
Magnetic monopoles have never yet been found, they are perhaps thought to exist in some theories, but for now they are just a suggestion.
All known magnetic fields have a north and a south pole, and no matter how small you cut a magnet up, it always has one of each. Even an electron, perhaps the smallest particle in the universe has a north and south magnetic pole.
People are still looking for magnetic monopoles, as it is thought they may have been produced in the big bang. Still no sign of them though!
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Helen Johnson answered on 9 Nov 2014:
Yep – Julian explained that one perfectly.
Magnetic fields always have a north and a south pole. The magnetic field lines on Earth start and end at the poles, and particles emitted from the sun are directed along these lines – giving us the aurora or Northern and Southern Lights. Did you know some other planets have magnetic fields and aurora too? -
Hugh Osborn answered on 11 Nov 2014:
The Earth is basically a giant bar magnet. Field lines come out of the North pole, loop round the planet and then dive back into the South pole and through the earth to complete the loop. In fact, it is the liquid Iron in the centre of the Earth (the outer core) that causes this dipole. So they’re not actually a monopole.
As a bonus – there is no evidence of magnetic monopoles actually existing. Every north pole always has a south pole. However, there’s a few interesting (wacky) theories suggesting that magnetic poles might exist and be *really* rare in our universe.
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