A charged particle of mass and charge is projected perpendicular to a magnetic field with speed . The pitch of the helical path followed by the particle is:
- A
- B
- C
- D
A charged particle of mass and charge is projected perpendicular to a magnetic field with speed . The pitch of the helical path followed by the particle is:
Correct answer:A
Standard Method
Given: A charged particle has mass , charge , moves in magnetic field with speed .
Find: The pitch of the helical path.
The provided solution states that the formula used for the pitch gives:
Therefore, the correct option is A and the pitch is .
Using the radius formula instead of the pitch formula is incorrect because radius and pitch describe different parts of helical motion. Use the expression given for pitch, not the circular radius.
Inverting and leads to the wrong option because the pitch must be proportional to and and inversely proportional to . Keep the dependence in the correct order.
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