Physics

ASSIGNMENT
VISMAYA K
I180229
2nd year
IMSc Mathematics
Magnetic materials
The materials that can be either attracted or repelled when
placed in an external magnetic field.

Types of magnetic materials

Based on the values of magnetic susceptibility magnetic materials
can be classified as follows :

• Diamagnetic materials
• Paramagnetic materials
• Ferromagnetic materials
• Ferrimagnetic materials
 Diamagnetic Materials

• Have tendency to move from stronger to the weaker part of

the external magnetic field.
• Having small and –ve magnetic susceptibility and weakly
repels in external magnetic field.
• When a diamagnetic material is placed
in an external field , the field lines are
expelled out.
• When a diamagnetic material is placed in a non-uniform
magnetic field , they tend to move from strong field to weak
field.
• When all the electrons of the material are Paired , the
atom doesn’t have a permanent dipole moment in the
absence of external magnetic field. In the presence of
external field , the electron which have dipole moment
in the direction of external field slowdown while the
other electron having dipole moment opposite to the
external field accelerates producing a net
magnetization against the external field.

• Eg : Bismuth , Copper , Lead , Silicon , Water , Sodium

chloride , Nitrogen at STP
• The conductors which show zero resistivity below a
particular temperature are known as super conductors.
• Super conductors are perfect diamagnets having
magnetic susceptibility, χ= -1. This effect is known as
Meissner effect.
• When a conductoris cooled below critical temperature
( Tc ) , they become super conductors and expell the
field lines out of it.
 Paramagnetic materials
• Which get weakly magnetised when paced in an
external magnetic field.
• The magnetic materials that weakly attracts external
field and having magnetic susceptibility small and
positive.
• When a paramagnetic material is placed in an
external field , the field lines tend to crowd inside it.
• When a paramagnetic material which placed in a
non- uniform magnetic field , it tends to move from
weak field to strong field.
• The paramagnetic materials have unpaired electrons
which accelerates in the external field along it.
• The magnetic susceptibility , χ of paramagnetic
materials is inversly proportional to temperature.

χ α 1/T
χ = μο C/ T
Where C = Curie’s constant
T= Absolute temperature

• The relation is known as Curie’s law.

• Eg : Aluminium , Sodium , Calcium , Oxygen at STP ,
Copper chloride .
 Ferromagnetic materials
• Having large value of magnetic susceptibility and showing
strong attraction towards external magnetic field.
• The behaviour of ferromagnetic material is explained
based on the domain theory.
• Each atoms have permanent dipole moment in the
direction of the dipole moment of neighbouring atoms.
The macroscopic volume of the ferromagnet having same
direction of dipole moment for each atoms is known as
domain . But due to the random direction of the dipole
moments of each domain , the ferromagnet have zero
dipole moment in the absence of external field.
• In the presence of external magnetic field each dipoles rotate in the
direction of external magnetic field producing a net magnetic
induction.
• This is the reason for Ferromagnetism.

Randomly oriented domains Aligned domains

• When temperature is increase above a particular value , a

ferromagnet will become paramagnet. That temperature above
• Τhe magnetic susceptibility of ferromagnets is also
inversly proportional to temperature and is given by :
χ = C/( T-Tc) ; ( T>Tc)
This relation is known as Curie- Weiss law.

• There are two types of ferromagnets.

1. Hard Ferromagnets
• The ferromagnets which retain magnetisation even
after the removal of the external field are known as
Hard ferromagnets.
• Eg : Alnico , An alloy of iron , Aluminium , Nickel ,
Cobalt , Copper , Gd
 2.Soft Ferromagnets

• The ferromagnets whose magnetization is destroyed

when the external field is removed are known as Soft
Ferromagnets.
• Eg : Iron , Cobalt , Nickel , Gadolinium

B = Magnetic field
H = Magnetic Intensity
2.
Ferrimagnetic materials

• Permanent magnetism.
• occurs in solids in which the magnetic fields
associated with individual atoms
spontaneously align themselves, some
parallel, or in the same direction (as in
ferromagnetism), and others generally
antiparallel, or paired off in opposite
directions (as in antiferromagnetism).
• The magnetic behaviour of single crystals of ferrimagnetic
materials may be attributed to the parallel alignment; the
diluting effect of those atoms in the antiparallel arrangement
keeps the magnetic strength of these materials generally less
than that of purely ferromagnetic solids such as metallic iron.
• Ferrimagnetism occurs chiefly in magnetic oxides known
as ferrites.
• The spontaneous alignment that produces ferrimagnetism is
entirely disrupted above a temperature called the Curie
point (q.v.), characteristic of each ferrimagnetic material.
When the temperature of the material is brought below the
Curie point, ferrimagnetism revives.

• Eg : yttrium iron garnet (YIG); cubic ferrites composed of iron

oxides with other element(s) such as aluminum, cobalt, nickel,
manganese, and zinc; and hexagonal ferrites such as
PbFe12O19 and BaFe12O19 and pyrrhotite, Fe1−xS
Antiferromagnetic materials

• magnetic moments are aligned in

opposite directions and are equal in
magnitude.
• when antiferromagnetic material is
unmagnetized its net magnetisation is
zero because magnetic moments of
the neighbouring atoms exactly
cancel when they are vectorially
• In the presence of the strong magnetic
field, antiferromagnetic materials are
weakly magnetised in the direction the
field.
• This property of the materials is called
antiferromagnetism and the materials
which exhibit this propert are called
antiferromagnetic materials.

• Eg : MnO, FeO, CoO, NiO, Cr, Mn.

 EARTH’S MAGNETISM
• The earth behave likes a huge bar magnet. Strength of
the earth’s magnetic field varies from place to place on
the earth’s surface. The magnitude of the earth’s
magnetic field is of the order of 10–5 T.
• Exact causes the earth’s magnetism is not clear yet.
There are some Earth Magnetism Theory which are as
follows:
• The magnetic field of the earth is thought to arise due
to electrical currents produced by convective motion of
metallic fluids (consisting mostly of molten iron &
nickel) in the outer core of the earth. This effect is also
known as the dynamo effect.
• In outer layers of earth’s atmosphere, various gases are
in ionized state. Due to rotation of the earth about its
axis, strong electric current are set up due to movement
of charged ions.
• The magnetic axis of the earth is making an angle
11.30 with the geographic axis.
• The magnetic pole near to the geographic North pole is
known as Magnetic North pole. The south pole of the
imaginary magnet lies at this pole.
• The magnetic pole near to the geographic south pole is
known as Magnetic South pole. The Northpole of the
imaginary magnet lies at this pole.
Nomenclature of the
poles is confusing and
one should not get
confuse. If we look at
the magnetic field lines
of the earth (as shown in
figure given above), we
observe that unlike in
the case of a bar
magnet, the field lines
go into the earth at the
north magnetic pole (Nm )
and come out from the
south magnetic pole
(Sm ).
Elements of Earth’s Magnetism

The quantities which completely describe magnitude

and direction of the earth’s magnetic field at a place.
• There are three magnetic elements of the earth:
1. Angle of declination
2. Angle of inclination ( Dip angle )
3. Horizontal component of Earth’s magnetic field
Angle of declination
• It is the angle between magnetic
meridian and geographic
meridian at a place.
• In the figure , the angle between
the true geographic north and the
north shown by a compass
needle is called the magnetic
declination or simply declination.
• The declination is greater at
higher latitudes and smaller near
Horizontal component of Earth’s
magnetic field
• The earth’ magnetic field is nowhere horizontal
except at equator. So, at any place, the earth’s
magnetic field (B) in the magnetic meridian may
be resolved into a horizontal component (BH) and
vertical component (Bv).
• The horizontal component of the earth’s magnetic
field is the component of the earth’s magnetic
field in horizontal direction.
Angle of Inclination ( Angle of dip )
• Angle of declination at a place is the angle between the
direction of the earth’s magnetic field and the horizontal
in the magnetic meridian at that place.
The magnetic field of the earth at a place , B canbe
resolves into two components – Horizontal component BH
and vertical component Bv .
• The dip angle is zero at equator and 900at poles.
BH = B Cos I
BV = B sin I
Tan I = Bv / BH
B= √(BH2 + BV2)
END