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A Gouy balance detects the force exerted by a nonuniform magnetic field on a sample of uniform cross-section extending between high- and low-field regions. TeachSpin's implementation reverses the usual arrangement: a rare-earth permanent-magnet assembly sits on a one-pan electronic balance, while a separate holder brings the sample into the field. The magnet's apparent mass change measures the opposite of the sample's vertical force, by Newton's third law. The described pole faces have diameter $25\mathrm{mm}$ and separation $15\mathrm{mm}$; samples occupy cuvettes of cross-section $(10\mathrm{mm}{)}^2$ and height about $32\mathrm{mm}$. ^[ref]

The same balance calibrates magnetic flux density by measuring the reaction force on the magnet when a wire of known horizontal length $L$ carries known electric current $i$ perpendicular to the field: $|F_z|=iL{B}_0$. The manufacturer describes water being repelled by the high-field region, identifying negative magnetic susceptibility. This observed sign supplies a qualitative test, not a measured Curie's law curve. ^[ref]

For weak reversible linear response, a uniform sample displacing a weakly magnetic surrounding medium has, to leading order, downward forceThis follows by integrating the induced-dipole force density $({\chi }_v-{\chi }_{\mathrm{medium}}){\partial }_z(B_0^2)/(2{\mu }_0)$ along a downward coordinate. $A$ is the cross-sectional area, and the two $B_0$ values are applied magnetic flux densities. The force depends on the endpoint fields; the entire field-gradient profile need not be measured under these assumptions. In the reversed apparatus, $F_{\downarrow }=-g\Delta m_{\mathrm{magnet}}$ after subtracting the holder background, where $g$ is gravitational acceleration. This sign must be reversed before inferring volume magnetic susceptibility.

Useful controls are an empty-holder reading at the same position, a distant-sample baseline, repeated wire-current reversals during field calibration, and stable temperature. They separate holder response, balance drift, force offsets, and thermal changes; these are proposed checks for the stated inference. Finite endpoint fields, nonuniform cross-section, uneven powder packing, stray forces and a demagnetizing field limit the simple formula. If magnetization is nonlinear, the weak-response force involves $A{\int }_{B_{0,\mathrm{top}}}^{B_{0,\mathrm{bottom}}}M(B_0)d{B}_0$ instead of a constant-${\chi }_v$ endpoint square. A balance reading then measures an integrated response, not directly the local differential magnetic susceptibility.

Magnetic susceptibility describes how readily a magnetic field changes a material's magnetization. The field variable and normalization matter: volume magnetic susceptibility in the International System of Units is dimensionless, whereas a derivative of total magnetic moment with respect to $B$ has units of $\mathrm{J}{\mathrm{T}}^{-2}$. A slope measured against the applied magnetic field intensity also depends on the sample's demagnetizing field.

For an isotropic, reversible linear response through the origin, writeHere $\mathbf{M}$ is magnetization, or magnetic moment per volume; ${\mathbf{H}}_{\mathrm{int}}$ is the internal magnetic field intensity; ${\mathbf{B}}_{\mathrm{int}}$ is the internal magnetic flux density; and ${\mu }_0$ is the vacuum permeability. Both $M$ and $H$ have units $\mathrm{A}{\mathrm{m}}^{-1}$. The magnetic permeability is ${\mu }_0(1+{\chi }_v)$. ^[ref]

The independent-moment magnetic response below shows why one number cannot describe every field: magnetization approaches a saturation magnetization, while its differential magnetic susceptibility approaches zero. Anisotropy requires a magnetic susceptibility tensor; hysteresis requires specifying the preparation and sweep branch as well as the bias magnetic field, temperature, and timescale. The Gouy balance turns a small response into a measurable force without presuming that its readout is already the intrinsic volume magnetic susceptibility.