Chapter 28: Magnetic Fields 28-33 r THINK The path of the positron is helical because its velocity v has

components r parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field B. EXPRESS If v is the speed of the positron then v sin is the component of its velocity in the plane that is perpendicular to the magnetic field. Here = 89 is the angle between the velocity and the field. Newtons second law yields eBv sin = me(v sin )2/r, where r is the radius of the orbit. Thus r = (mev/eB)sin . The period is given by T= 2me 2r = . v sin eB

The equation for r is substituted to obtain the second expression for T. For part (b), the pitch is the distance traveled along the line of the magnetic field in a time interval of one period. Thus p = vT cos . ANALYZE (a) Substituting the values given, we find the period to be T= 2 ( 9.111031 kg ) 2me = = 3.58 1010 s. 19 eB ( 1.60 10 C ) ( 0.100T )

2 1 (b) We use the kinetic energy, K = 2 me v , to find the speed:

2 ( 2.00 103 eV ) ( 1.60 10 19 J eV ) 2K v= = = 2.65 107 m s . 31 me 9.1110 kg Thus, the pitch is p = 2.65 107 m s 3.58 1010 s cos 89 = 1.66 104 m .

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(c) The orbit radius is 9.111031 kg 2.65 107 m s sin 89 me v sin R= = = 1.51103 m . 19 eB 1.60 10 C ( 0.100 T )

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LEARN The parallel component of the velocity, vP = v cos , is what determines the pitch of the helix. On the other hand, the perpendicular component, v = v sin , determines the radius of the helix.