An energy theory is proposed on the buckling of a ferromagnetic thin p
late in a transverse static magnetic field. The analytic solution of c
ritical field for plates is obtained by using variational method. It i
s shown that the critical magnetic field is not only influenced by the
ratio of the thickness to the length, but also by the width, total le
ngth and the magnetic susceptibility of the specimen. Theoretical calc
ulations agree with experiments reasonably.