Answer: Along the north-south direction.
- A Along the east-west direction
- B Vertically up and down
- C In a random horizontal direction
- D Along the north-south direction
Correct answer: D. Along the north-south direction
Explanation: A freely suspended bar magnet aligns itself roughly along the geographic north-south direction due to Earth's magnetic field, which is how early compasses worked.
Magnetic field of a bar magnet: field lines emerge from the north pole and re-enter at the south pole outside the magnet, forming continuous closed loops. Image: Geek3, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Concept context
Bar magnets, Earth's magnetism, and how different materials respond to an external magnetic field - diamagnetic, paramagnetic, and ferromagnetic behaviour.