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Unit 3: Gravity and Electromagnetism

Quick questions on Charged particles in magnetic fields - TCE Physics (Tasmania)

2short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.

What is the magnetic force as a centripetal force?
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The force on a charge qq moving at speed vv through a field BB is F=qvBsinθF = qvB\sin\theta, maximum when the velocity is perpendicular to the field. This force is always perpendicular to the velocity, so it never speeds the charge up or slows it down; it only changes the direction. A force of constant size always perpendicular to the motion is exactly what produces uniform circular motion.
What is the period is independent of speed?
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Substituting v=2πrTv = \dfrac{2\pi r}{T} into the radius equation and simplifying gives the period:

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