Confused about a charge going into a magnetic field?

[Problem?]

Say for instance a + charged particle is moving right along the x-axis. Then it will encounter a magnetic field with the direction pointing up. Using the Right hand rule, the force acting on that particle will be going out of the page to me so to speak.

But what if it was an electron with a negative charge? Will it still follow that right hand rule? or will it do the opposite and go into the page? I think it would still be out of the page, but is that right logic?

 

[Dale]

What does the Lorentz force law say?

 

[netheril96]

I have always been wondering why they invent some thing called left hand rule and right hand rule for this and that. Isn't there something called cross product?

 

[Dale]

Yes, the right hand rule is part of the cross product. A cross product takes two vectors and returns a 3rd vector which is perpendicular to the previous two. But there are two such vectors, one determined by the left hand rule and one determined by the right hand rule. The cross product takes the one determined by the right hand rule. So the cross product implies the right hand rule.

 

[sophiecentaur]

I have always been wondering why they invent some thing called left hand rule and right hand rule for this and that. Isn't there something called cross product?

The Left and Right hand rules are for people who would run a mile at the mention of Vector Products. i.e School Pupils and the like.

The Left Hand rule just HAS to work for electron beams. Why should it not (if you are applying it correctly)?