This is the perfect kit to bring magnetism to life for your students! A compass points north because all magnets have two poles , a north pole and a south pole, and the north pole of one magnet is attracted to the south pole of another magnet. Reverse polarity is where the magnetism in the compass needle becomes permanently reversed so the red end of the needle points south instead of north. This is different to the magnetic needle being temporarily deviated a little when near a metal object or weak magnet and correcting itself as soon as it is moved away.