PHYS 1112 Module 9 Activities 3

Activity 3 — Motion of a Charge in a Uniform B-field

A dust particle has a mass of 5.70 × 10−20 kg and a net charge of +4.80 × 10−19 C. It is observed to travel in a circular path of radius 1.45 cm in the magnetic field shown. What is the particle’s velocity?

The drawing shows the top view of two interconnected chambers. Each chamber has a unique magnetic field. A positively charged particle is fired into chamber 1, and observed to follow the dashed path shown in the figure.

  1. What is the direction of the magnetic field in chamber 1?
  2. What is the direction of the magnetic field in chamber 2?
  3. Compare the magnitude of the magnetic field in chamber 1 to the magnitude of the magnetic field in chamber 2.