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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