Magnetic moment Two definitions of moment Magnetic pole definition
 Physicists represent sources of magnetic moments in materials as poles. The North and South poles are an analogy to the positive and negative charges in electrostatics. Consider a bar magnet which has magnetic poles of equal magnitude but opposite polarity. Each pole is the source of magnetic force which weakens with distance. Since magnetic poles always come in pairs, their forces partially cancel each other because while one pole pulls, the other repels. This cancellation is greatest when the poles are close to each other i.e. when the bar magnet is short.