Three Types of Magnetism

Will you be teaching magnetism soon?  You may wish to include some a demonstrations of paramagnetism and diamagnetism.

This video I made for UCLA will help you with these ideas. In the video, I discuss three different types of magnetism, superconductors, and different magnetic substances. This video will help you recognize on the differences between paramagnetism, diamagnetism, and ferromagnetism.

You might not think of water as being magnetic, but it is. It is diamagnetic.

Graphite, aluminum, and glass are magnetic too! They are diamagnetic or paramagnetic, but how can you differentiate between the two? Watching the video will help.

 And what about the third type, ferromagnetism?

Most people are familiar with ferromagnetism—it is one of the strongest forms of magnetism. For example, a magnetized piece of iron, nickel, or cobalt becomes a magnet in the presence of a magnetic field. The effect is strong and lasts even after the magnet is removed.

 Paramagnetism is weaker and more temporary than ferromagnetism. Aluminum is a good example of a paramagnet, and so is oxygen, which is attracted to magnets.

This image shows a few mL of liquid oxygen

So how can you tell if a substance is diagmagnetic or paramagnetic? You need to see how it aligns itself in a magnetic field.

Don’t get it just yet? Or maybe your students need to “see” this happening. Never fear, the video includes diagrams and demos to illustrate this concept. Just go watch it! What are you waiting for?