This month's Challenge Question: Specs & Techs from IHS Engineering360:
You have two steel bars. One is a permanent magnet and the other is not
magnetized. Without using any tool, meter or instrument of any type, how can
you find out which one is the permanent magnet?
And the answer is:
See the figure below. If you arrange the two bars in a T shape by
putting the permanent magnet as the top of the T (second figure) and the
non-magnetized bar exactly at the middle there is no way the magnet will
magnetize the bar, because there is no
direct unique pole in contact with
the bar. So, there is no attraction between the bars.
On the other hand, if the non-magnetized bar is the top of the T
structure, then a clear pole (in the first figure and in this case, it is the
south pole) will be in contact with the bar and it will magnetize the bar by
creating a North pole in the bottom of the bar and a South pole in the top. Therefore,
in this condition the two bars will attract.

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