A charged particle is projected into a uniform B-field. Its velocity vector is perpendicular to the B-field vector. What type of path will the particle travel? Neglect gravity.
Answer straight line motion
elliptical motion
parabolic motion
circular motion
straight line
The charged particle that is projected into a uniform magnetic field with a velocity vector perpendicular to the magnetic field will travel in a circular path.
To understand why this happens, we can look at the interaction between a charged particle and a magnetic field. When a charged particle moves through a magnetic field, it experiences a force called the magnetic Lorentz force. This force acts perpendicular to both the velocity vector of the charged particle and the magnetic field vector.
In this case, since the velocity vector of the charged particle is perpendicular to the magnetic field vector, the magnetic force will act as a centripetal force, pulling the particle towards the center of the circle. This results in the particle moving in a circular path.
It's important to note that the particle will continue to move in a circular path as long as the magnetic field and the particle's velocity remain unchanged. If either of these factors change, the path of the charged particle will be affected accordingly.