Understanding Circular Motion: The Importance of F=(mv^2)/r in Mass Spectrometry

AI Thread Summary
F=(mv^2)/r is crucial for understanding circular motion in mass spectrometry, as it relates the force acting on ions to their mass and velocity. When ions exit the electric field, they are influenced solely by the magnetic field, causing them to follow a circular path. To determine the radius (r) of this path, one can analyze the geometry of the semicircular trajectory the ions take before impacting the detection plate. The radius can often be derived from the known parameters of the system, such as the magnetic field strength and the velocity of the ions. Understanding this relationship is essential for accurate measurements in mass spectrometry.
v_pino
Messages
156
Reaction score
0
I managed to do part a) of the question but got stuck on b). Why use F=(mv^2)/r for circular motion? And even if I use this equation, how do I find r, the radius?

Thank you
PV
 

Attachments

  • untitled.jpg
    untitled.jpg
    19.5 KB · Views: 432
Physics news on Phys.org
When the ions leaves the electric field, they are only affected by the magnetic field and will therefor move in a circle. Altough they will only finnish half of the circle before they hit the plate. So, if you have a semicircle, where can you find the radius of the circle?
 
thanks :)
 
I multiplied the values first without the error limit. Got 19.38. rounded it off to 2 significant figures since the given data has 2 significant figures. So = 19. For error I used the above formula. It comes out about 1.48. Now my question is. Should I write the answer as 19±1.5 (rounding 1.48 to 2 significant figures) OR should I write it as 19±1. So in short, should the error have same number of significant figures as the mean value or should it have the same number of decimal places as...
Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'
Let's declare that for the cylinder, mass = M = 10 kg Radius = R = 4 m For the wall and the floor, Friction coeff = ##\mu## = 0.5 For the hanging mass, mass = m = 11 kg First, we divide the force according to their respective plane (x and y thing, correct me if I'm wrong) and according to which, cylinder or the hanging mass, they're working on. Force on the hanging mass $$mg - T = ma$$ Force(Cylinder) on y $$N_f + f_w - Mg = 0$$ Force(Cylinder) on x $$T + f_f - N_w = Ma$$ There's also...
Back
Top