An electron moving with velocity \(\vec{v}\) through a magnetic field \(\vec{B}\) experiences a magnetic force \(F .\) Which of the vectors \(\vec{F}, \vec{v},\) and \(\vec{B}\) must be at right angles?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The vector \( \vec{F} \) must be at right angles with both vector \( \vec{v} \) and vector \( \vec{B} \).

Step by step solution

01

Analyze the Lorentz force law

The magnetic force acting on a moving charge in a magnetic field is given by the equation \( F = qvBsin θ \), where q is the charge, v is its velocity, B is the magnetic field, and θ is the angle between v and B.
02

Observe the relation between the force and the angle between the velocity and the magnetic field

From this equation, it can be seen that the magnetic force is maximized when the angle θ between v and B is 90 degrees (since sin 90 degrees equals 1). This means that the magnetic force is perpendicular to both the velocity of the moving charge and the magnetic field.
03

Determine which vectors must be at right angles

From the previous observation, it can be concluded that vector \( \vec{F} \), the magnetic force, must be at right angles with both vector \( \vec{v} \), the velocity of the charge, and vector \( \vec{B} \), the magnetic field. Furthermore, by the nature of the cross product, \( \vec{v} \) and \( \vec{B} \) can have any angle relative to each other, they are not specifically required to be at right angles.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free