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What is the net force experienced by a bar magnet placed in a uniform magnetic field?
Explanation
A bar magnet acts as a magnetic dipole with two equal and opposite poles (North and South). When placed in a uniform magnetic field, the North pole experiences a force in the direction of the field, while the South pole experiences an equal force in the opposite direction. Because the magnetic field is uniform, the magnitude of the field is identical at both poles, causing these two forces to cancel each other out exactly. Consequently, the net translational force on the bar magnet is zero. However, if the poles are not aligned with the field, these opposing forces create a torque, which tends to rotate the magnet. A net force only occurs if the magnetic field is non-uniform, where the field strength differs at each pole.