Earth's magnetic force on a proton

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the magnetic force on a proton due to Earth's magnetic field, focusing on the parameters involved in the calculation, such as charge, velocity, magnetic field strength, and angle.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts a calculation using specific values for charge, velocity, magnetic field strength, and angle but questions the correctness of the result. Some participants affirm the calculation but raise concerns about the choice of magnetic field strength, noting that it can vary significantly.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring the implications of the varying strength of the Earth's magnetic field and questioning the assumptions made in the original calculation. There is no explicit consensus on the correct approach or values to use.

Contextual Notes

The problem statement does not provide a definitive strength for the magnetic field, leading to uncertainty in the calculations presented.

Jaccobtw
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Homework Statement
A proton is flying to the east near the surface of the earth at 1000m/s. What is the magnitude of the force (in N) the proton feels due to the earth's magnetic field?
Relevant Equations
F = qvBsin##\theta##
Plug in the elementary charge for q, 1000 m/s for v, 50 microtesla for B and 90 degrees for theta and I get about 8e-21 Netwons. But apparently this is wrong, anyone know why? Thank you.
 
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Your calculation looks correct. The problem statement as given doesn't provide the strength of the B-field. The field varies quite a bit over the surface of the earth. Why did you choose 50 μT?
 
TSny said:
Your calculation looks correct. The problem statement as given doesn't provide the strength of the B-field. The field varies quite a bit over the surface of the earth. Why did you choose 50 μT?
google!
 
Jaccobtw said:
google!
Click on the "varies quite a bit" in my previous post.
 

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