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The solar wind is a thin, hot gas given off by the sun. Charged particles in thi

ID: 1266011 • Letter: T

Question

The solar wind is a thin, hot gas given off by the sun. Charged particles in this gas enter the magnetic field of the earth and can experience a magnetic force. Suppose a charged particle traveling with a speed of 8.94E+6 m/s encounters the earth's magnetic field at an altitude where the field has a magnitude of 1.22E-7 T. Assuming that the particle's velocity is perpendicular to the magnetic field, calculate the radius of the circular path on which the particle would move if it were an electron.

Explanation / Answer

The force due to magnetic field will be able to manage the required centripital acceleration of circular motion.

The magnetic force = Bqv

and the centripital force = mv^2/r

So equating these two we get,

r = mv/Bq

r = 9.1*10^-31*8.94*10^6/(1.27*10^-7*1.6*10^-19)

= 400.36 m

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