What causes metals to become magnetically charged? And can you force a metal to have its north or south poles on certain sides?
In: Physics
There are two types of metals with respect to magnetic properties: diamagnetic and paramagnetic.
First, electrons in atoms have a spin to them (for metals, they exist in the d-orbital) and this gives electrons a magnetic property. If the electrons are paired; however, their spin and therefore magnetic property is cancelled out.
Diamagnetic means all the electrons per atom are paired. These metals do not exhibit a strong interaction with magnetic fields.
Paramagnetic means there are some electrons that are unpaired per atom. These metals exhibit a strong interaction with magnetic fields.
Chunks of metal like iron, made up of many atoms, [Ar] 3d6 4s2 (you find out if if it’s it’s paramagnetic or diamagnetic by plotting the electron configuration with the orbitals and seeing if there are any unpaired electrons), that are paramagnetic do not exhibit magnetic properties until they are put through a strong magnetic field or electric current because while each atom exhibits magnetic properties the whole “chunk” of iron will not unless each atom is aligned in the same direction. Then the block of iron becomes a magnet. You can apply the current or magnetic field in a particular direction to change the poles as well.
Latest Answers