His return to experimental research is marked by a profound study of the "direct reading periodic precision balance for least weights." (1889, 1890, 1891.) In this balance, the use of small weights is suppressed by the employment of a microscope by means of which one reads a micrometer attached to the extremity of one of the arms of the balance. The reading is made when the oscillation of the balance is arrested, which can occur very rapidly, thanks to the use of pneumatic dampeners conveniently constructed. This balance marks a considerable advance over old systems. It has shown itself particularly valuable in laboratories for chemical analysis, where the rapidity of the weighings is frequently a test of precision. We can say that the introduction of the Curie balances marks an epoch in the construction of these instruments. The work done in this field was far from empirical; it comprised a study of the theory of damped movements and the construction of numerous curves established with the aid of some of his students. It was toward 1891 that Pierre Curie began a long series of investigations on the magnetic properties of bodies at divers temperatures, from the normal up to 1400° C. These investigations, covering years, were presented as a Doctor's thesis before the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Paris in 1895. In it he stated precisely in the following few words the object and results of his work: "From the point of view of their magnetic properties, bodies may be divided into two groups: _diamagnetic_ bodies, bodies only feebly magnetic, and _paramagnetic_ bodies.[4] At first sight the two groups seem entirely separate. The principal aim of this research has been to discover if there exist transitions between these two states of matter, and if it is possible to make a given body pass progressively through them. To determine this I have examined the properties of a great number of bodies at temperatures differing as much as possible, in magnetic fields of varying intensities. "My experiments failed to prove any relation between the properties of _diamagnetic_ and those of _paramagnetic_ bodies. _And the results support the theories which attribute magnetism and diamagnetism to causes of a different nature_. On the contrary, the properties of _ferro-magnetic_ bodies and of bodies _feebly magnetic_ are intimately united." This experimental work presented many difficulties, for it necessitated the measuring of very minute forces (of the order of ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a milligramme weight) within a container where the temperature could attain 400° C.