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Question:

Which of the following is true for a material that is magnetic?

A. The electrons gather at opposite ends or poles of the magnet.B. The electrons are evenly distributed throughout the magnet except for the poles.C. The electrons in the magnet all have the same direction of spin.D. The electrons in the magnet all vibrate in the same direction.

Answer:

None of the choices are completely correct. The one that is closest to being correct is choice C - that the electronic spins are aligned in the same direction. However, not ALL of the electron spins need to be aligned for the material to be magnetized; there can still be spins aligned in directions other than that of the net magnetization. But when the material is magnetized, there is an unequal distribution of spins in the material (different numbers of spins aligned in different directions), with the net effect of the spins being predominantly aligned in one direction. Actually, it is outright impossible for ALL the spins in a material to align in the same direction due to the Pauli exclusion principle.

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