100. Paramagnetism and Diamagnetism

A torsional balance contains various vials of paramagnetic and diamagnetic material including graphite and gadoliminium oxide.

Diamagnetic graphite can be used to stabilize magnetic levitation.

Microscopic graphite dust is made of flakes which lie flat and reflect a silver light (left view). When put over a magnetic field, the flakes stand up on edge due to graphite's diamagnetic property (right view). Only the top edges reflect light, and the powder looks very black. Light goes in, scatters into the deep valleys, and never comes out. The blackest black has been produced using a forest of aligned carbon nanotubes.