Question

If a bar magnet is cut along the dotted line as shown in the figure and the two pieces are held separated by a small distance as they are, then

• A. They repel each other.
• B. They attract each other.
• C. They do not experience any force on each other.
• D. Will repel or attract depending on the location of cut.

Hint:

Whenever a bar magnet is cut, each piece becomes a smaller complete magnet with its own north and south poles. The newly formed adjacent faces are always unlike poles and therefore attract each other.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understand what happens when a bar magnet is cut.
A bar magnet always consists of aligned magnetic domains.
When a magnet is cut into two parts, each part becomes a complete magnet having its own north pole and south pole.
Magnetic poles cannot exist independently. Hence, isolated magnetic monopoles are not formed.

Step 2: Identify the poles formed at the cut surface.
The original magnet has \[ N \qquad \text{------} \qquad S \] After cutting at the middle, the left piece becomes \[ N \qquad S \] and the right piece becomes \[ N \qquad S. \] Thus, the newly created faces at the cut are \[ S \quad \text{and} \quad N. \]

Step 3: Determine the interaction between the two pieces.
Since the facing poles are \[ S \quad \text{and} \quad N, \] they are unlike poles.
Unlike magnetic poles attract each other.
Therefore, when the two pieces are held a small distance apart, an attractive force acts between them.

Step 4: Final conclusion.
Hence, the two pieces \[ \boxed{\text{attract each other}} \] and the correct option is \[ \boxed{(2)} \]