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jaobyccdee
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When there's magnetic field, a charged particle moves in a circle. I would like to ask why won't the circle goes smaller even when there's a force pointing inward (towards the center of the circle). Thank you!
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?
The centripetal force is responsible for causing an object to move in a circular path. It acts perpendicular to the direction of motion, towards the center of the circle. Without this force, the object would continue in a straight line.
The strength of the centripetal force is determined by the mass of the object, its velocity, and the radius of the circular path. The greater the mass and velocity, or the smaller the radius, the stronger the centripetal force will be.
Centripetal force is a real force that acts on an object to keep it moving in a circular path. Centrifugal force is often referred to as a "fictitious" force, as it is a perceived force that appears to push an object away from the center of the circle, but is actually an effect of the object's inertia.
Yes, centripetal force can change the speed of an object by altering its direction of motion. As the object moves in a circular path, the direction of its velocity is constantly changing, which means its speed also changes. This is why objects moving in a circular path have a constant acceleration.
Centripetal force can affect any type of motion that involves a circular path. This includes objects moving in a horizontal circle, such as a car on a curve, as well as objects moving in a vertical circle, such as a rollercoaster. The force acts in the same direction, towards the center of the circle, regardless of the type of motion.