Plotting magnetic fields

All magnets have a north–seeking pole and a south–seeking pole. Unlike magnetic poles attract each other, and like magnetic poles repel each other. Just three metal elements (iron, cobalt and nickel) are magnetic; other metals and non–metals are not magnetic. The needle of a plotting compass lines up with the magnetic field of a magnet. Arrows on magnetic field lines show the direction in which the north–seeking pole of another magnet would be forced.