Diamagnetic Materials: Magnetic Repulsion or Torque?

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In summary: Based on my experiences so far, it is true that the repulsion between a magnet and a piece of diamagnetic material is stronger if the magnet is oriented towards the material in a 'face-on' position than if the magnet is oriented away from the material. However, the effect of the magnet's orientation on the intensity of the repulsion is not clear.
  • #1
carmatic
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suppose that i have a piece of magnet close to a piece of diamagnetic material
the piece of diamagnetic material is held still

will the magnet be repulsed isotropically , or will there be a torque exerted on the magnet so that its poles face perpendicularly towards the piece of diamagnetic material?
 
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  • #2
The permanent magnet and the diamagnetic material will repel each other no matter how they are oriented to each other. If the north pole of the permanent magnet is facing the material, it will induce a north pole in the near side of the object, and "likes repel". If the south pole of the permanent magnet is facing the material, it will induce a south pole in the near side of the material, and again "likes repel". It think your problem is that you are trying to rely on intuition to make a sense of it. But intuition (aka, everyday experience) will not help you out here because diamagnetism is such a weak effect it does not show up in everyday life. You have to go looking for it using lab equipment. Think of diamagnetism as the opposite of paramagnetism/ferromagnetism. Just as your steel refrigerator door attracts magnets no matter their orientation and exerts no torque, diamagnetic material always repels.
 
  • #3
you are very right about intuition indeed

Based on my experiences of handling magnets so far, they tend to want to orient themselves so that their poles will contact a piece of ferromagnetic material

as in, if there is a thin disc shaped magnet, almost like a coin, where the faces are the poles, when near a piece of iron, it will want to go 'face first' into the iron; the attraction is harder if the magnet was face-on to the piece of iron

now if there was a piece of bismuth , which is diamagnetic, instead... the magnet would want to go away from the bismuth ... following from the effect of inducing a like pole within the piece of bismuth, can i say that the repulsion will be harder if it was face-on , than it would be if it was side-on? and, by extension, if the magnet was facing at an angle from the piece of bismuth, will it tend to reorient itself so that it faces the bismuth piece side-on?
 
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1. What is diamagnetism?

Diamagnetism is a property of materials that causes them to create a weak magnetic field in the opposite direction of an applied magnetic field. This is due to the alignment of electrons in the material.

2. How do diamagnetic materials differ from paramagnetic materials?

Diamagnetic materials have all paired electrons, while paramagnetic materials have unpaired electrons. This results in a weaker and opposite response to an applied magnetic field in diamagnetic materials compared to paramagnetic materials.

3. What are some common examples of diamagnetic materials?

Some common examples of diamagnetic materials include copper, gold, silver, and water. These materials have all paired electrons and exhibit a weak repulsion to an applied magnetic field.

4. Can diamagnetism be observed in everyday life?

Yes, diamagnetism can be observed in everyday life. For example, when a strong magnet is brought near a piece of copper or aluminum, the material will experience a force in the opposite direction of the magnet's field, demonstrating diamagnetism.

5. How is diamagnetism used in technology?

Diamagnetism is used in technologies such as magnetic levitation trains and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. In both cases, the diamagnetic properties of certain materials are utilized to create a levitating force or image internal structures of the body, respectively.

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