The discussion revolves around calculating the acceleration of an electron moving in a magnetic field, specifically focusing on the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration as described by Newton's second law.
Some participants have provided the mass of the electron and attempted to calculate acceleration, but discrepancies between their calculations and textbook answers have led to further questioning of the results. There is no explicit consensus on the correctness of the textbook answer.
Participants note that all electrons have approximately the same mass, which is a key assumption in their calculations. The discussion also highlights a potential issue with the accuracy of the textbook answer.
d_leet said:Remember Newton's second law? F=ma, F is force, m is mass, a is acceleration.
tnkfub said:i know this but how do i get the acceleration when i don't have the mass of the electron?
ranger said:electron mass = 9.10938188 × 10^-31 kilograms
All electrons have approx. the same mass.
tnkfub said:f=ma, a = m/f , a = 9.1x10^-31 / 1.2x10^-12 = 7.6 x 10 - 19
the answer according to the back of the textbook is way different a = 1.32x10^18m/s^2