Magnetic Fields Matter

Students are introduced to the effects of magnetic fields in matter addressing permanent magnets, diamagnetism, paramagnetism, ferromagnetism and magnetization. First, they compare the magnetic field of a solenoid to the magnetic field of a permanent magnet. Then they learn the response of diamagnetic, paramagnetic and ferromagnetic materials to magnetic fields. Now aware of the mechanism causing a solid to respond to a field, students learn how to measure the response by looking at the net magnetic moment per unit volume of the material.