The force on an electron moving in a magnetic field will be the largest when its direction is
A) at an angle other than 90 degrees to the magnetic field direction.
B) the same as the magnetic field direction.
C) perpendicular to the magnetic field direction.
D) exactly opposite to the magnetic field direction.
E) none of these

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The force on a charged particle moving in a magnetic field is given by the Lorentz force law, which states that the force is maximum when the particle's velocity is perpendicular to the magnetic field direction. This is because the force is calculated as F = qvBsin(θ), where q is the charge, v is the velocity, B is the magnetic field strength, and θ is the angle between the velocity and the magnetic field direction. The sine function reaches its maximum value of 1 when θ = 90 degrees, indicating the force is largest when the direction is perpendicular to the magnetic field.

The Force on an Electron Moving in a Magnetic Field