Silver is not magnetic. It is in fact diamagnetic, as are gold, mercury, lead and copper. Diamagnetism is when an object is caused to create a magnetic field in opposition to an external magnetic field, in simple terms; the metal in question will repel the metal with the magnetic field. Diamagnetic metals are those that have a relative permeability of less than 1. This is according to Lenz's Law, which states, "An induced current is always in such a direction as to oppose the motion or change causing it." This is the easiest way of understanding how electromagnetic circuits obey Newton's third law, which simply put states "to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction." Silver has a relative permeability of -2.6, whilst lead has a relative permeability of -1.8. Water too has a negative relative permeability (-1.8), as do copper (-1) and carbon (in diamond form, -2.1). Silver can display very weak magnetic properties when it is exposed to extremely low temperatures. The most common examples of magnetic materials are iron, nickel and cobalt. Silver has the chemical symbol Ag and its atomic number is 47. The atomic number, sometimes called the proton number is the number of protons found exclusively in the nucleus of an atom that make it identical to the charge number of the nucleus. So if an atom has neutral charge, the atomic number will be equal to the number of electrons. Silver is classed as a precious metal and is used to make items of jewellery, utensils and ornaments. It is also used to make some coins. The metal is often used in the manufacture of mirrors and the compounds of it are used in photographic films and disinfectants. It is currently being researched for its possible clinical potential.
