magnetic dipole

American  

[mag-net-ik dahy-pohl] / mægˈnɛt ɪk ˈdaɪˌpoʊl /

noun

1. Physics. a system with two equal and opposite magnetic poles, in that it generates a magnetic field from two opposing poles.

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magnetic dipole Scientific  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

These tiny magnets are called magnetic dipole moments.

From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026

“The magnetic dipole was increasing after the Ediacaran,” Doglioni says.

From Scientific American • Feb. 15, 2019

Matter has a property called magnetic dipole moment.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

A magnetic dipole placed in a magnetic field, such as the ones created by a magnet or the Earth, will tend to align with the magnetic field vector.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015