Magnetic susceptibility converter
Convert volume magnetic susceptibility between the SI and CGS systems, for diamagnetic, paramagnetic and magnetic materials.
Positive and small: paramagnetic, weakly drawn into a magnetic field (22 × 10⁻⁶ SI, 1.751 × 10⁻⁶ CGS).
What it means
How magnetic is that?
Volume susceptibility at room temperature. Mass and molar susceptibilities need the density or molar mass as well.
Every unit
That susceptibility in every system
Learn
Three things worth knowing
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Multiply by 4π
Water is −9.05 × 10⁻⁶ in SI, −0.72 × 10⁻⁶ in CGS. Divide SI by 12.57 for CGS.
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Faraday’s frog
Michael Faraday named diamagnetism in 1845; in 1997 a live frog was levitated in a strong magnet because water is diamagnetic.
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Same name, different number
Old handbooks list CGS values; mixing them with SI equations is off by 4π, a factor of 12.6.
Shortcuts
Popular susceptibility conversions
Background
About magnetic susceptibility
Susceptibility χ says how strongly a material magnetises in a field. Diamagnetic materials like water and bismuth have a small negative χ and are gently pushed away from magnets; paramagnetic ones like aluminium have a small positive χ; ferromagnets like iron have huge values.
The same material has different numbers in SI and CGS: χ(SI) = 4π χ(CGS), because the two systems define the magnetic field differently.