Magnetic susceptibility is a measure of how much a material will become magnetized in an applied magnetic field, indicating its ability to support an internal magnetic field. It is a dimensionless proportionality constant that helps classify materials as diamagnetic, paramagnetic, or ferromagnetic based on their magnetic response.

Magnetic Susceptibility

Magnetic susceptibility

applied magnetic field

internal magnetic field

dimensionless proportionality constant

Classification Of Materials

Diamagnetic materials are characterized by their negative magnetic susceptibility, meaning they create an opposing magnetic field when exposed to an external magnetic field, thus experiencing a weak repulsion from the field. This property is inherent to all materials but is the only type of magnetism for some substances, such as bismuth and copper.

Diamagnetic Materials

Paramagnetic materials are substances that are weakly attracted to an external magnetic field due to the presence of unpaired electrons in their atoms or molecules. Unlike ferromagnetic materials, their magnetization is transient and occurs only in the presence of an applied magnetic field, disappearing once the field is removed.

Paramagnetic Materials

Ferromagnetic materials are substances that exhibit strong magnetic properties due to the parallel alignment of their magnetic dipoles, resulting in a net magnetic moment. These materials, such as iron, cobalt, and nickel, are essential in various applications like electric motors and data storage because they can retain their magnetization even after the removal of an external magnetic field.

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