Re: magnetic north and south

["Rauber, Joel Phys" <RAUBERJ@mg.sdstate.edu>]

The way I read this, these two "conventions" contradict each other; or am I 
hallucinating here during final exam week.  Top statement says "from the 
label N to label S" is the direction and the bottom say the "S to N segment" 
which I take to be from S to N.

> More specifically, the compass needle sorient along the lines of a field
> in such a way that the direction from the label N to label S concides with
> the direction of the field. The advantage of this convention is that it
> will remain valid after the next field reversal, or on another planet, etc.

> > A better convention (more general) is to say that the end of a magnet
> > from which the field lines are emerging is N while the end toward which
> > they are converging is S. How can one tell? By watching the compass. The
> > S to N segment of the needle coincides with the direction of B.

Joel