Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A proton with a kinetic energy of MeV moves at right angles to a uniform field of T, about the size of the Earth's field at the surface. Find its speed, the radius of its circle and the time for one turn. Take J and kg. The speed is well below that of light, so ignore the change of mass.
At right angles to the field, , and . After a voltage , . At an angle the path is a helix with and pitch . A velocity selector passes . In a cyclotron, and .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The speed. J. We want , so .
Step 2. The radius. The top of is . The bottom is . So , that is km.
Step 3. The period. , that is ms.
Answer: m/s, km and ms.
Check. The circle is km wide, and the proton goes round in a bit more than a thousandth of a second. A weak field needs a large circle.
What if the proton has twice the energy? The speed grows by and so does the radius. The time for a turn is the same, since it does not depend on the speed.
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