| magnetic dipole | |
noun | |
| a dipole with opposing magnetic poles |
| magnetic dipole
A model of an object that generates a magnetic field in which the field is considered to emanate from two opposite poles, as in the north and south poles of a magnet, much as an electric field emanates from a positive and a negative charge (each of which is a monopole) in an electric dipole. Even though the existence of magnetic monopoles as isolable particles has not been established, the magnetic dipole remains a useful simplification of the electrodynamics involved in magnetism. Magnetic dipoles experience torque in the presence of magnetic fields. |