The magnetic moment of a diamagnetic substance is

Options

A. Zero
B. 1
C. Less than 1
D. Greater than 1

Answer

To determine the magnetic moment of a diamagnetic substance, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Definition of Magnetic Moment
The magnetic moment of a substance is a measure of the strength and direction of its magnetism. It is influenced by the arrangement of magnetic moments of individual atoms or ions within the substance.

**Hint for Step 1:** Remember that magnetic moments arise from the motion of electrons and their spins.

### Step 2: Identify the Characteristics of Diamagnetic Substances
Diamagnetic substances are characterized by having all their electrons paired. This means that the magnetic moments due to the orbital motion of electrons and their spins cancel each other out.

**Hint for Step 2:** Think about how paired electrons contribute to the overall magnetic moment.

### Step 3: Analyze the Vector Sum of Magnetic Moments
In diamagnetic materials, the vector sum of all the individual magnetic moments (due to both orbital and spin contributions) results in a net magnetic moment of zero. This is because the magnetic moments are oriented in such a way that they cancel each other.

**Hint for Step 3:** Visualize how vectors can cancel each other out in a diagram.

### Step 4: Conclude the Magnetic Moment of Diamagnetic Substances
Since the vector sum of the magnetic moments in a diamagnetic substance is zero, we conclude that the magnetic moment of a diamagnetic substance is 0.

**Hint for Step 4:** Recall that a net magnetic moment of zero implies no net magnetization in the presence of an external magnetic field.

### Final Answer
The magnetic moment of a diamagnetic substance is **0**.