The discussion revolves around the effects of centripetal force on the motion of charged particles in a magnetic field, specifically addressing why the path remains circular rather than spiraling inward despite the presence of an inward force.
Participants express differing levels of understanding regarding the nature of the path taken by the particle, with some clarifying concepts while others remain uncertain about the implications of centripetal force.
The discussion does not resolve the initial question about the behavior of the particle's path under centripetal force, and assumptions about the constancy of speed and force are not fully explored.
The word you're looking for is spiral. The reason the path is a circle in this case is because the force (and acceleration) are constant as well as perpendicular to the path (velocity). If the amount of force varies with time, then just about any path would be possible, with the only constraint that speed is constant. The force could be adjusted to create a spiral, an ellipse, a parabola, a hyperbola, a sine wave, ... , any path that is possible with constant speed and only direction changes. For example, think of the possible paths your car could follow while moving at constant speed with just steering inputs, however if you hold the steering wheel in one position, then the car's path will be a circle (or a straight line) (assuming it doesn't slide).jaobyccdee said:So when it changes the direction of the path, why will it become a perfect circle instead of a path that circles around closer and closer to the center?