P. H. G .

ALLEN

Acknowledgments
The author acknowledges the help of D r R. Hawley
and Mr K. L, Eatwell in preparing this article.
He
wishes to
his colleaguey Mr H Kayser3 with
the development of the magnetic faceplate technique
and to thankAssociated Electrical Industries Ltd for
permission to reproduce figures 10 and 1 1 .
References
ARCHENHOLD,
W. F., 1966, Physics
Education, 1, 171.
BARKER,
J. R., 1960, Amer. J. Phys., 28, 139.

CARTER,
F. W., 1901, Electrical World and Eneineer, 38,
884.
HARRAP,

M.

J.,

1966,

Edrtcation, 46.

L., 1964, Electrotechnik, 42, 267.

HOEFNAGEL,
KIRCHHOFF,
G., 1845, AnnalenderPhysik
und Chenlie,
No. 4, 497.
Ana/?,$js
(London: Van
RABY,K. F., 1966, Field
Nostrand), Chap. 5.
SUROWIAK,
S . , 1965, A.E.I. Engng, 5, 127.
VITKOVITCH,
D. (Ed.), 1966, Field Analysis (London: Van
Nostrand), Chap. 5, 6 and 7.
WRIGHT,E. G., 1966, Field
Analysis
(London: Van
Nostrand), Chap. 4.

A permanent magnet Gouy balance

A. SAUNDERSON
Kilburn Polytechnic, London

A simplified form of a classical magnetic balance is described. This makes it possible

to observetheessentialdifferenceinbehaviourbetweenparamagneticand
dia-

magneticsubstances,and

to make determinations of paramagnetic constants.

The Gouy balance is a classical method of investigating susceptibility. It consists essentially of suspending the specimen (in the form of a long cylinder) from
a sensitive balance, applying a magnetic field gradient
along its length and measuring the force due to the
magnetization of the specimen. In its usual form the
apparatus needs a permanent location because a large
electromagnet is used. The arrangement described
here uses a strong permanent magnet (Eclipse Major)
and can be set up on a bench in a short time.
The most convenient balance to use is a top-pan
balance with digital readout, sensitive to 1 mg and
having a suspension hook beneath. This is supported
on a stout wooden box, open to the front, with a hole
cut in its upper surface to allow suspension of the
specimen. The size of the box is dictated by the
dimensions of the base of the balance together with
the need to manipulatethe specimen and magnet
inside it: a 40 cm cube is suitable.
The application and removal of the magnetic field is
achieved by resting the magnet, with its plane horizontal and the gap forward,on a simple non-magnetic
carriage which can be slid forward and backward.
In the rear position, the gap should be at least 20 cm
behind the specimen so that its field has negligible
effect. The forward position is such that the specimen
272

is in the gap with its lower end level with the centre
of the poles: this position is achieved by using packingpieces of wood or hardboard.
The specimen may be either solid or liquid. If solid
(e.g. glass, ebonite) it should bein the form of a
cylinder at least 15 cm long and about 1 cm in diameter, suspended by silk or nylon thread attached to
its upper end. If liquid, the specimen may be contained
in athin glass test-tube of similar dimensions: the
6 inby
in size is convenient. Suitable liquids are
water, benzene and acetone as diamagnetics, and
40% by weight solutions of manganese sulphate,
nickel sulphate and nickel chloride as paramagnetics.
The experimental procedure is simple and can be
performed in a few minutes. The reading of the
balance is noted with no field applied (wl),and then
with the field applied (wz).Then (wz-wl) is the force
exerted on the specimen: it is seen to be negative for
some specimens and positive for others.This shows the
difference between diamagnetics and paramagnetics,
the former being repelled from the region of greater
flux density, and vice versa, To obtain a value for the
susceptibility of a paramagnetic substance two further
measurements are made: the cross-sectional area ( A )
of the specimen, and the flux density ( B ) , by means of
a fluxmeter, in the centre of the magnet gap. The

A PERMANENT MAGNET

volume susceptibility is obtained from the

expression

simplified

No such determination can be made in this case for

diamagnetic substances since the force observed is
only 3 or 4 mg.
The following table gives a typical set of observations, together with the volume susceptibility obtained
from them.
B = 0.197 T

Specimen
MnSO, s o h
NiSO, s o h
NiCI, s o h

A = 1.61 cm*

w 1g

w2g

37.553
37,713
38.250

37,623
37,728
38,285

(wz-wl)

0.070
0.015
0,035

(SI units)
2.8 x
5 . 9 ~
1 . 4 ~

There are several precautions which must be taken:

(i) Air currents must be excluded from the balance
and the box.

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GOUY BALANCE

(ii) Unless bench and box are very rigid, small distortions (even due to the observer leaning on the
bench) canalterthe
balance reading. The forward
movement of the magnet canintroduce this error,
but since it is systematic it can be determined and
allowed for.
(iii) With the top-pan balance, a denser specimen
will hang lower, so the height of the magnet must be
adjusted to allow for this when the specimen is
changed.

If the concentration and density of a liquid specimen are determined, it is possible to find the mass
susceptibility and themolar susceptibility. For the
three specimens recorded here the values are within
20% of the book values. Further, by assuming that
for an inorganic salt the diamagnetic contribution to
susceptibility is small compared with the paramagnetic, the magnetic moment of a single Ni+- ion,
for example, can be found. It turns out to beof the
order of
SI units.

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273