paramagnetic material question?
When a paramagnetic material is in an external magnetic field is it attracted towards the source or the sink of the external field? or is it niether
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It is not exactly attracted nor repelled.
When a paramagnetic material is in an external magnetic field it appears an induced magnetic field inside the material with the same sense that the external field. That makes a stable configuration from an energetic point of view. We can say than the paramagnetic material feels attraction by the external magnetic field.
On the contrary, when a diamagnetic material is in an external magnetic field it appears an opposite induced magnetic field inside the material that makes a instable configuration from an energetic point of view. We can say than the diamagnetic material feels repulsion by the external magnetic field.
The extreme case of a diamagnetic material is a superconductor that really avoids the magnetic field penetrate inside. That's make superconductor levitates by Meisner effect. Also you can make graphite to levitate because graphite is a very diamagnetic material.
Bye.