Paramagnetic, Diamagnetic and Ferromagnetic Substances

The circular motion of electrons plays a significant role in the process of magnetism. The atom’s magnetic moment occurs due to the vector sum of spin and orbital magnetic moment. On the basis of magnetic properties, magnetic substances are further classified into three categories. These include Paramagnetism, diamagnetism and ferromagnetism. 

Today, in this article on paramagnetic, diamagnetic and ferromagnetic substances, you will get detailed information on concepts of paramagnetism, diamagnetism and ferromagnetism, along with magnetism in general. So, without further ado, let us get started with dia, para and ferromagnetic materials in this study material.

Before directly jumping onto our main topic, it is vital to understand the concept of magnetism and various types of magnets to further learn about paramagnetic, diamagnetic and ferromagnetic substances.  

What is Magnetism? 

The magnet has the property to repel or attract other substances, referred to as magnetism. When two bar magnets are positioned close to one another, the same poles will repel each other; however, the opposite poles will attract. The primary reason behind this behaviour of the magnet is the imaginary magnetic line that continuously revolves around it. Like the electrostatic force and the gravitational force, magnetism is also interaction from a distance. There are generally three types of magnets. 

Firstly, permanent magnets are those magnets that do not lose their magnetic properties in a lifetime once they are entirely magnetised. However, the permanent magnets can be demagnetised if placed at extremely high temperatures or when two magnets are stroked inappropriately. Generally, there are four major types of permanent magnets. Electromagnets are wire coils that have a ferromagnetic core. If the electric current passes through the electromagnets, they start to react like bar magnets. Electromagnets do not have permanent magnet pull since these are highly dependent on external factors. These magnets are magnetised when the magnetic field is present. However, these lose their magnetic property once it’s removed. Some of the examples of temporary magnets are paper clips and iron nails. 

Paramagnetic

The paramagnetic substances are those that get weakly magnetised if placed outside the magnetic field, the same as the direction of the externally applied field. Paramagnetic substances are entirely different from diamagnetic and ferromagnetic substances. The typical examples of Paramagnetic substances are tungsten, aluminium, calcium, lithium, platinum, etc.

Characteristics of Paramagnetic 

The following are the characteristics of Paramagnetic substances – 

• The external magnetic field develops a weaker attraction for Paramagnetic substances. 
• If the external magnetic field is eliminated, the Paramagnetic substances lose their magnetism. 

Diamagnetic

The diamagnetic substances are referred to as those that hold the ability to move from a stronger part of a magnetic field to the weaker section. It can be said that magnets repel diamagnetic substances. Some common examples of diamagnetic substances are antimony, bismuth, copper, lead, silicon, gold, silver, mercury, etc. 

Characteristics of Diamagnetic 

The following are the Characteristics of Diamagnetic substances – 

• In diamagnetism, the atom’s magnetic moment is recorded as zero. 
• The external part of the magnetic field does not repel strongly. 
• When Diamagnetic substances are placed close to the outer part of the magnetic field, these get weakly magnetised. 

Ferromagnetic

Ferromagnetism or Ferromagnetic substances are those that get magnetised strongly in the same direction as the externally applied field. These substances hold the ability to move from a weaker part of a magnetic field to a stronger section. Ferromagnetic substances examples are cobalt, iron and nickel.

Characteristics of Ferromagnetic

The following are the Characteristics of Ferromagnetic substances – 

• Ferromagnetic substances are created using a large number of tiny domains. 
• The ferromagnetic substance does not lose its magnetic properties if the external magnetic force is removed. 
• The external magnetic field highly attracts these substances. 

Magnetic Properties 

According to the properties of magnets, when two bar magnets are placed close to one another, the same poles will repel each other; however, the opposite poles will attract. The magnet is placed in mid-air using a thread to identify its north and south poles in the directive property. According to the attractive property, the magnetic lines of force are the strongest near the south and north poles. If the bar magnets broke, it still has the south and north poles. No matter how many pieces it splits, it still has both the poles. 

Conclusion 

In this Introduction to Paramagnetic, diamagnetic and ferromagnetic substances, we discussed Paramagnetic, diamagnetic and ferromagnetic substances in detail. 

We covered the Paramagnetic, diamagnetic and ferromagnetic substances. Here, we briefly introduced all three magnetic substances, including the Paramagnetic, diamagnetic and ferromagnetic substances. We also discussed magnetism in general and the types and properties of magnets. We hope this study material on dia para ferromagnetic materials must have helped attain a greater understanding of this topic.