Magnetic Susceptibility and Permeability - Magnetism and Matters

eSaral Academic and Editorial Team
The key difference between magnetic susceptibility and permeability is that magnetic permeability describes the ability of a material to support the formation of a magnetic field inside itself whereas susceptibility describes whether a material is attracted to a magnetic field or is repelled from it. Magnetic Susceptibility Magnetic Permeability
Magnetic Susceptibility The magnetic susceptibility of a magnetic substance is defined as the ratio of the intensity of magnetisation to magnetic intensity $\chi_{ m }=\frac{ I }{ H }$
- It is ratio of two quantities with same units $\left( Am ^{-1}\right)$ so has no units.
- It gives the measure of ease with which a material can be magnetised by magnetising field.
- The value of $\chi_{ m }$ depends on nature of material and temperature.
- If H = 1 then $\chi_{ m }= I$. So magnetic susceptibility is the intensity of magnetisation developed in the substance when placed in a magnetising field of unit strength.
- Different relations for magnetic susceptibility are
A.Volume magnetic susceptibility $\chi_{ m }=\frac{ I }{ H }$
B.Mass magnetic susceptiblity $\chi_{\text {mass }}=\frac{\chi_{ m }}{\rho}$ $\rho$ = density of material
C. Molar magnetic susceptibility $\chi_{\text {molar }}=\frac{W_{\chi_{ m }}}{\rho}$ W = atomic weight
D.Molecular magnetic susceptibility $\chi_{\text {molecular }}=\frac{W}{N}\left(\frac{\chi_{ m }}{\rho}\right)=\frac{\chi_{\text {molar }}}{ N }$
Magnetic Permeability
The magnetic permeability of a magnetic substance is defined as the ratio of the magnetic induction to the magnetic intensity so $\mu=\frac{ B }{ H }$
- It is a scalar with unit weber/ampere-meter or henry/meter or newton/ampere $^{2}$ and dimension $M^{1} L^{1} T^{-2} A^{-2}$
- It is a measure of ability of a medium to allow passage of magnetic lines of force through it or measure of degree to which magnetic field can penetrate through a material.
- Relative permeability in a material $\mu_{ r }=\frac{\mu}{\mu_{0}}=\frac{ B }{ B _{0}}=\frac{\text { number of lines of magnetic induction per unit area i }}{\text { number of lines per unit area in vacuum }}$
- $\mu_{r}$ is a dimensionless quantity. $\mu$ is always positive and depends of nature of material and temperature.

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eSaral Academic and Editorial Team
Team eSaral is the collective author profile for educational content created by eSaral’s teachers and academic contributors. The team draws on expertise from IIT graduates, doctors, experienced educators and subject specialists to develop resources for JEE, NEET and school students. Our articles aim to explain concepts clearly and help students study with confidence.
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