Curie’s law

physics

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June 25, 2026

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Curie's law, formulated by Pierre Curie, describes the magnetic susceptibility of paramagnetic substances. It states that this susceptibility is inversely proportional to the absolute temperature. This means that as the temperature of a paramagnetic material increases, its magnetic susceptibility decreases, and vice versa.12

The Curie point is a critical temperature related to magnetic materials. Below this point, certain magnetic materials exhibit strong magnetic properties like ferromagnetism. However, upon reaching the Curie point, these materials undergo a sharp change and transition to a weaker magnetic behavior known as paramagnetism. For instance, iron's Curie point is approximately 770 °C (1,418 °F).34

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magnetism
Magnetic properties of matter
…approximate relationship is known as Curie’s law and the constant C as the Curie constant. A more accurate equation is obtained in many cases by modifying the above equation to χ = C/(T − θ), where θ is a constant. This equation is called the Curie–Weiss law (after Curie and…
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…approximate relationship is known as Curie’s law and the constant C as the Curie constant. A more accurate equation is obtained in many cases by modifying the above equation to χ = C/(T − θ), where θ is a constant. This equation is called the Curie–Weiss law (after Curie and…
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Pierre Curie
…proportion to the absolute temperature—Curie’s law. He then established an analogy between paramagnetic bodies and perfect gases and, as a result of this, between ferromagnetic bodies and condensed fluids.
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…proportion to the absolute temperature—Curie’s law. He then established an analogy between paramagnetic bodies and perfect gases and, as a result of this, between ferromagnetic bodies and condensed fluids.
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