Imagine you shoot an electron beam down the center of an ideal solenoid carrying current I. Which of the following will happen?
a)The magnitude of the field outside the solenoid will increase.
b)The magnitude of the field outside the solenoid will decrease
c)The electron beam will be deflected out of the solenoid.
d)The direction of the field inside the solenoid will stay the same.
This is a very, very, ideal problem.
Nothing will happen unless the electron strays from its course perfectly down the B lines :) (unstable equilibrium)
Hi Damon,
I was first thinking like that and I check on d) but it shows wrong. Now I have only one attempt. Do you think there might be other solution possible? I would be very greatful.
To determine what will happen when you shoot an electron beam down the center of an ideal solenoid carrying current I, we need to understand the behavior of magnetic fields in solenoids.
First, let's understand the basic premise of a solenoid. A solenoid is a coil of wire wrapped tightly and uniformly, often in a cylindrical shape. When a current flows through the wire, it creates a magnetic field both inside and outside the solenoid.
Now, let's analyze the given options:
a) The magnitude of the field outside the solenoid will increase.
b) The magnitude of the field outside the solenoid will decrease.
c) The electron beam will be deflected out of the solenoid.
d) The direction of the field inside the solenoid will stay the same.
If we shoot an electron beam down the center of the solenoid, it means the beam will be traveling inside the solenoid.
Inside the solenoid, the magnetic field created by the current flowing through the wire is directed along the axis of the solenoid and is relatively uniform. This means that the direction and magnitude of the magnetic field inside the solenoid will remain the same (option d) as long as the current remains constant. This field will not affect the path of the electron beam.
Now, in terms of the magnetic field outside the solenoid, we need to consider the behavior of the field lines. The magnetic field lines produced by the solenoid loop around the solenoid in a circular pattern. Since the electron beam is moving parallel to the axis of the solenoid and not crossing any field lines, the beam will not be deflected out of the solenoid (option c) by the magnetic field.
Therefore, we can conclude that the correct answer is option d) The direction of the field inside the solenoid will stay the same.