A Charged Particle moving in Uniform Magnetic Field

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the behavior of a charged particle moving in a uniform magnetic field, specifically analyzing the conditions under which the particle exits the magnetic region. Key variables include the magnetic field strength (B), charge (q), velocity (v), mass (m), and the angle (θ) at which the particle enters the field. The equation governing the motion is qvB = (mv²)/r, where 'r' is the radius of the circular path. The analysis concludes that if the width of the magnetic field region (d) is less than mv/qB, the particle will exit the region along a tangent to its circular path.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Lorentz force and its implications in magnetic fields
  • Familiarity with circular motion and the concept of radius in physics
  • Knowledge of trigonometric functions, particularly in relation to angles
  • Basic principles of analytic geometry for visualizing particle trajectories
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of the Lorentz force equation in electromagnetic theory
  • Explore the implications of varying angles (θ) on particle trajectories in magnetic fields
  • Investigate the effects of changing magnetic field strength (B) on particle motion
  • Learn about the applications of charged particle motion in devices like cyclotrons and mass spectrometers
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, educators teaching electromagnetism, and professionals working in fields involving charged particle dynamics, such as accelerator physics and plasma physics.

Milind Chakraborty
Messages
1
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


Problem given in the image attached.

Uniform Magnetic Field : B
Positive Charge : q
Uniform Velocity : v
Mass : m

Charged particle enters the magnetic field making an angle θ with the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field.

Width of the region of Magnetic field : d
d < (mv/qB)

Homework Equations


qvB = (mv2)/r

Where 'r' is the radius of the circular arc that the particle will move along in the magnetic field.

The Attempt at a Solution


All that I could see through is that in the given problem,

radius of the circular arc is greater than the width of the magnetic region and that the particle would come out through the other end of the region and move along the tangent at that point.
 

Attachments

  • PJ2SPYL137JEeBNBLTX9YtXE.jpg
    PJ2SPYL137JEeBNBLTX9YtXE.jpg
    38.4 KB · Views: 602
Physics news on Phys.org
Hello Milind, :welcome:

here at PF we have a peculiar culture of letting the students do the work and helping them on the way. So you will need to take the first step -- see the guidelines . Not too difficult in this case: draw a chunk of circle to extend the straight line and start some analytic geometry work... :smile: .

You only have symbols to work with, but that's OK. It allows you to choose d << mv/qB and d = mv/qB as limiting cases.

([edit]: and this latter situation is cumbersome for ##\theta < {\pi\over 2}## so you trust the exercise composer wasn't looking out carefully enough, but did intend to avoid such a complication. In short: it comes out on the right. Who knows you can earn extra brownie points for - carefully - pointing out this error
[edit2]: the Lorentz force is pointing ... which way ? )

And keep an eye on part ii) .
 
Last edited:
The angle theta is with respect to the plane perpendicular to the field.
This means that the particle enters the field with a speed v cos theta perpendicular to the width of the region where the field excists.
 

Similar threads

Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
7K
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 31 ·
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
Replies
14
Views
2K
Replies
12
Views
2K
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K