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Lorentz Force Notes

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158 views2 pages

Lorentz Force Notes

Uploaded by

owhotemubeulah
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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LORENTZ FORCE

The total electromagnetic force on a given particle is known as the Lorentz force. It is named after
the physicist Hendrik A. Lorentz. Lorentz Force is the sum of Magnetic and Electrical Force
experienced by a charge.

The Lorentz force is given by,

F = qE + qv × B

Where,

F is the Lorentz force

q is the charge of the given particle

E is the electric field

B is the magnetic field

v is the velocity

Looking at the formula, the relation between the electric field and the force which charges
experience under its influence is known. In case of force experienced under the influence of the
magnetic field, the following observations are made:

1. It depends on q, v, and B (charge, velocity of the particle, and magnetic field). In the case of
a negative charge, the direction of the force is reversed.

2. There is a vector product between the velocity and magnetic field. The direction of force is
perpendicular to both of the quantities. In cases where velocity and magnetic field become
parallel, The force on the charge becomes zero.

3. Magnetic force on any charge is zero if it’s not moving that is |v| = 0.

The magnetic force is proportional to the value of the vector cross product v × B and q. In the case of
the angle ϕ between B and v, the value of the force is equivalent to qvB sin ϕ. In a uniform magnetic
field, the Lorentz force causes the motion of charged particles. If velocity v is perpendicular to
magnetic field B, the charged particle will move in a circular path with a radius (r) equal to mv/qB.
If the angle ϕ is zero, then there is no magnetic force on the charged particle (it will continue to
travel undeflected through the field lines).

Applications of Lorentz Force

The important applications of Lorentz force are given below.

Particle accelerators like cyclotrons utilise the Lorentz force. A bubble chamber makes use of the
Lorentz force to create the graph for obtaining the paths of charged particles. Cathode ray
televisions employ the concept of Lorentz force to drive the electrons in a straight line so as to
land on particular points on the screen.

The Lorentz force exists in numerous electric devices such as particle accelerators, mass
spectrometers, magnetrons, velocity filters, and Lorentz force calorimetry.

SOLVED EXAMPLE
Question 1: Find out the magnitude of the force experienced when a 5C charge is kept under the
influence of 25 N/C electric fields.

Answer:

The for on the charge is given by,


F = qE
⇒ F = (5)(25)
⇒ F = 125 N/s.

Question 2: Find out the magnitude of the force experienced when a 5C charge is moving at 10m/s
under the influence of a 25 N/C electric field. The magnetic field of 10 magnitudes is perpendicular
to the direction of the electric field and velocity. Find out the magnitude of the force experienced
by the charge.

Answer:
The for on the charge is given by,
F = qE + q(v × B)
⇒ F = (5)(25) + 5 (10 × 10 × sin(90))
⇒ F = 125 + 5(100)
⇒ F = 125 + 500
⇒ F = 625 N

Question 3: Find out the magnitude of the force experienced when a -2C charge is moving at
10m/s under the influence of 5 N/C electric fields. The magnetic field of 5 magnitudes is 30° to the
direction of the electric field and velocity. Find out the magnitude of the force experienced by the
charge.
Answer:
The for on the charge is given by,
F = qE + q(v × B)
⇒ F = (-2)(5) + (-2) (10 × 5 × sin(30))
⇒ F = -10 + -100 × 0.5
⇒ F = -60 N

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