A simple vibrating sample magnetometer for use in a materials physics course

An inexpensive vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) has been developed for use in a materials physics course. An exercise using the VSM allows students to measure the magnetic properties of various materials and thus gain experience applicable to contemporary research on magnetic materials. This paper describes specific aspects of the construction of a VSM and presents measurements for two 5-mm-long Ni wires of different diameters and for floppy disk media. A 178-μm-diam Ni wire served as a calibration sample for the system; the results from a 51-μm-diam Ni wire set the limit of precision for this system at approximately 5×10−3 emu.