Of concern in the paper is a theoretical investigation of boundary layer flow of a biomagnetic fluid and heat transfer on a stretching/shrinking sheet in the presence of a magnetic dipole. The problem has been treated mathematically by using Lie group transformation. The governing nonlinear partial differential equations are thereby reduced to a system of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations subject to associated boundary conditions. The resulting equations subject to boundary conditions are solved numerically by using bvp4c function available in MATLAB software. The plots for variations of velocity, temperature, skin friction and heat transfer rate have been drawn and adequate discussion has been made. The study reveals that the problem considered admits of dual solutions in particular ranges of values of the suction parameter and nonlinear stretching/shrinking parameter. A stability analysis has also been carried out and presented in the paper. This enables one to determine which solution is stable that can be realized physically, and which is not. The results of the present study have been compared with those reported by previous investigators to ascertain the validity/reliability of the computational results.
Keywords: biomagnetic fluid; dual solutions; magnetic dipole; stability analysis.