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Force
Magnetic Force
The force due to magnetic field acts on electric charges in a particular manner. If you simply
place an electric charge in a magnetic field nothing happens, i.e., when an electric charge is at
rest in a constant magnetic field it experiences no magnetic force. Electric charges have to move
to experience a force from a magnetic field.
IMPORTANT
1. The force on a charge q is proportional to the magnitude of the charge and its
speed v. When the charge is not moving, there is no magnetic force on it.
2. The direction of the force is perpendicular to the direction of both the velocity
v and the magnetic induction field B.
3. When the velocity of the charge is parallel to the magnetic field the force is
zero.
F = |F| = qvB sin0 = 0
(10)
F = qvB sin
(b) What is the force between two equal charges moving parallel to each other with the same
velocity ?
Solution
(a) The Biot-Savart law refers the magnetic field produced by a current element, Id.
Since I = dq/dt we rewrite
Note that time period is independent of velocity. All particles with same charge to mass ratio
(q/m), have the same period.
Illustration6
(b)
Solution
Illustration7
Helical Motion
The parallel component v|| is unaffected by the magnetic field B, therefore, the particle
moves with constant velocity parallel to the field. The resultant motion is a uniform circular
motion perpendicular to field lines and a constant linear motion along the field lines. This is
called a circular helical path.
The pitch of a helix is defined as the linear distance moved by the particle in one revolution.
Illustration8
An electron moving at 4 106 m/s enters a uniform field B = 0.04 T at 30 to the lines.
What is the pitch of the helical path.
Solution
Lorentz Force
When a particle is subjected to both electric and magnetic fields in the same region, the
total force on it is called the Lorentz force.
We know that the path of particle in a uniform magnetic field is a helix and the path in a
uniform electric field is parabola. When a particle is subject to both electric and magnetic fields,
the motion is in general quite complex. However, the special cases in which the fields are either
parallel to perpendicular to each other are simple to analyze.
Illustration9
Uniform electric E and magnetic B
field are directed along the y axis as
shown in the figure (13) . A particle with
specific change (q/m) leaves the origin O
along the x-axis with velocity vo.
(a) Since magnetic field does not accelerate a particle in its own direction, therefore, the
distance moved along the y-axis is only due to electric field.
DRILL EXERCISE2
1. (a) What is the minimum magnetic field needed to exert a 5.4 10 15 N force
on an electron moving at 2.1 107 m/s? (b) What magnetic field strength
would be required if the field were at 45 to the electrons velocity?
4. How long does it take an electron to complete a circular orbit at right angles
to a 1.0-G magnetic field?