What is the opposition that a material offers to the magnetic lines of force called?

The term that describes the opposition a material offers to magnetic lines of force is reluctance. This concept is analogous to resistance in electrical circuits, where materials resist the flow of electric current. In the context of magnetism, reluctance represents the difficulty with which magnetic field lines can pass through a material. The higher the reluctance, the more a material opposes the establishment of a magnetic field within it.

Permeability, on the other hand, is a property that measures how easily a material can become magnetized in the presence of an external magnetic field; it’s essentially the opposite of reluctance. Magnetic susceptibility refers to how susceptible a material is to being magnetized, indicating its ability to respond to a magnetic field but not directly addressing the opposition factor. Inductance is related to how much voltage is induced in a coil of wire when the current changes, and it’s not directly concerned with the opposition to magnetic lines of force.

Understanding reluctance is key in designing magnetic circuits and systems, as it influences the efficiency and effectiveness of magnetic components in various applications, such as transformers and inductors.