Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Paramagnetism refers to the property of certain materials that are weakly attracted to a magnetic field. These materials have unpaired electrons, which align with the external magnetic field and create a net magnetic moment.
Diamagnetic refers to the property of certain materials that are weakly repelled by a magnetic field. These materials do not have any unpaired electrons and exhibit no net magnetization.
Magnetic Field: A magnetic field is an invisible force surrounding a magnet or electric current that exerts a force on other magnets or moving charges.
Ferromagnetism: Ferromagnetism is the property of certain materials where their atoms have permanent magnetic moments that align parallel to each other even without an external magnetic field.