True north, which is a GPS bearing linked to the geographical location of the North Pole, works when Location Services is turned on. Magnetic north, on the other hand, depends on the Earth’s natural magnetism, which changes based on your physical location. It works when Location Services is both on and off.

While a compass is a great tool for navigation, it doesn’t always point exactly north. This is because the Earth’s magnetic North Pole is not the same as “true north,” or the Earth’s geographic North Pole . As the Earth’s magnetic field changes, the magnetic North Pole moves.

geographic North Pole

A freely suspended magnet point in the north south direction because the north pole of the magnet is attached to the South pole of the Earth and the South pole of the Magnet is attached to the North pole of the Earth. This is the reason why a freely suspended magnet point in the north south direction.

If freely suspended, one pole will point toward the north. The two poles are thus named the north magnetic pole and the south magnetic pole (or more properly, north-seeking and south-seeking poles, for the attractions in those directions).

Rare-earth magnets are strong permanent magnets made from alloys of rare-earth elements. Developed in the 1970s and 1980s, rare-earth magnets are the strongest type of permanent magnets made, producing significantly stronger magnetic fields than other types such as ferrite or alnico magnets.

The end that faces the north is called the north-seeking pole, or north pole, of the magnet. The other end is called the south pole. When two magnets are brought together, the opposite poles will attract one another, but the like poles will repel one another.

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, or MagLab, at Florida State University runs the world’s strongest continuous magnet for use by scientists, at 45 tesla—around 10 times stronger than a hospital MRI machine. Now, researchers at the lab have announced creating a 45.5-tesla magnet.

Most MRI scanners operate at a strength of 1.5 Tesla. A 3 Tesla MRI, however, operates at twice the normal strength, providing a greater signal-to-noise ratio, which is a major determinant in generating the highest quality image. The strength of a 3 Tesla MRI yields myriad benefits for radiologists and their patients.

3.0T is proven to be ideal for imaging the brain, vascular, musculoskeletal, and small bone systems. 3.0T provides higher clarity and better detail because it’s magnetic field is twice as strong as 1.5T.