What happens to the velocity of a charged particle moving in perpendicular direction to the magnetic field?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When a charged particle moves perpendicular to a magnetic field, the magnetic force acts perpendicular to the velocity, causing the particle to undergo circular motion.
Option a: 'The direction of the velocity remains the same, but the magnitude is changed.' This is incorrect because a magnetic force does no work on a moving charge; it cannot change the speed (magnitude) of the particle, only its direction.
Option b: 'Both the direction and the magnitude of the velocity are changed.' The direction changes due to the perpendicular magnetic force, but the magnitude does not change because the force is always perpendicular to the velocity, resulting in centripetal acceleration without work.
Option c: 'The direction of the velocity is changed, but the magnitude remains the same.' This is the correct statement: the velocity vector rotates as the particle moves in a circle, preserving speed since the magnetic force does no work on the particle.
Option d: 'Both the direction and the magnitude of the velocity remain the same.' This is false because there is a continuous change in direction due to the magnetic force; speed does not stay constant in all cases of motion in a magnetic field, though here it remains constant.

UCIC 202503 PHYS101 Quiz 11

What happens to the velocity of a charged particle moving in perpendicular direction to the magnetic field?

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