Introduction :

Magnetism is the property of certain materials to attract or repel other materials based

on the presence of a magnetic field. Three major categories of magnetic behavior are

paramagnetism, diamagnetism, and ferromagnetism. Understanding the characteristics

and properties of these substances is essential in various fields, including physics,

materials science, and engineering. This section will provide a detailed explanation of

each type of magnetic behavior.

What are the Magnetic Properties of

Materials?
Based on the behavior of materials in the magnetic field, the magnetic materials are divided into three
categories. The types of categorization related to the types of materials include diamagnetic
materials, paramagnetic materials, and ferromagnetic materials.

 When diamagnetic substances produce negative magnetization when placed in an external magnetic
field, magnetic fields repel diamagnetic substances. 
 Paramagnetic substances have a small net magnetic moment in the direction of the applied field. The
magnetic field attracts paramagnetic substances.
 In a magnetic field, Ferromagnetic materials are strongly attracted. Magnetism is retained in the
Ferromagnetic materials even after removing the magnetic field.
Magnetic Properties of Materials: 
We shall discuss the 5 Magnetic Properties of Materials .

Property 1: Intensity of magnetization (I)

Electrons move around the nucleus, and these electrons possess magnetic properties. The external
magnetic field creates an impact on the materials. A material held in an external magnetic field will
have its magnetic moments aligned in a specific direction. The result is a non-zero dipole moment.
Magnetic flux or intensity per unit volume is defined as net dipole moment per unit volume.

Property 2: Magnetic Field (H) or Magnetic intensity

The intensity in the magnetic field is produced by the electric current flowing through a solenoid.
Magnetic property is caused as a result of the external magnetic field. 

Property 3: Magnetic susceptibility

An intensified magnetization of material occurs directly proportional to the magnetic field intensity for
a small magnetizing field. A material with a small magnetizing field acquires a greater degree of
magnetization as a direct result of the intensity of the magnetic field. The intensity of magnetization is
represented as (I), and material directly proportional to the magnetic field is represented as (H) and it
can be represent as 

I∝H

I = χmH, χm the susceptibility of the material. Magnetic susceptibility refers to the material’s ability to
absorb liquid.

Property 4: Retentivity
Magnetism can be retained or resisted by materials because of their retentivity. It is known as
retentivity when a material can retain or resist magnetization. 

Property 5: Coercivity

A material’s coercivity measures its ability to resist the external magnetic field without becoming
demagnetized. The increase or decrease of the resultant magnetic field inside a metal compared to
the magnetic field in which the metal is situated is magnetic permeability.

Types of Magnetism:
 The magnetic behavior of the materials is different at changed temperatures into their magnetic fields.
The types of magnetism are classified into five types.

1. Diamagnetic Material
2. Paramagnetic Materials
3. Ferromagnetic Materials

Diamagnetic Material: 
Magnetic field repels the diamagnetic materials. An induced magnetic field is created in the opposite
direction by the applied magnetic field, and it causes a repulsive force. Water, wood, petroleum, some
forms of plastics, copper and mercury are diamagnetic materials. The water-based diamagnetic
materials have less than or equal to one relative magnetic permeability. Hence the magnetic
susceptibility is less than or equal to 0. The magnetic susceptibility is negative for diamagnetic
materials only. Nonmagnetic materials are diamagnetic materials because they lack properties of
permanent magnetization without the external magnetic field.

Paramagnetic Materials: 
Paramagnetic materials have permanent atomic dipoles. They act individually and range in the
direction of the external magnetic field. Chemical elements and compounds are Paramagnetic
Materials. The relative permeability of magnets in them is slightly greater than one, and they exhibit
small positive magnetic susceptibility. Therefore they are attracted to magnetic fields.

Ferromagnetic Materials:
The external magnetic field magnetizes materials. Magnetization exists though the external magnetic
fields are removed. Ferromagnetic materials are also subject to permanent magnetic properties as
atomic magnetic moments spin due to electron structure. The magnetic moments of the electrons line
up parallel to one another even in the absence of an applied field. Ferromagnetic materials examples
include iron, nickel, and cobalt.

 Conclusion 
Magnetic properties of materials is one of the most essential concepts of physics. The magnetic
properties are Ferromagnetism (they form a magnet), Paramagnetism (They are attracted towards
the magnetic field), Diamagnetism (They are repelled from the magnetic field). Also we learnt, the
magnetic susceptibility is negative for diamagnetic materials only.