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Q.An electron beam is projected perpendicular to a given field. How can we predict whether the given field is a uniform electric field?

Manipur CohsemCOHSEM Manipur Higher Secondary Board 2026Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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Constant electric force gives parabolic deflection; velocity-dependent magnetic force gives circular deflection at unchanged speed.

An electron beam moving perpendicular to a field region can be used to identify the type of field by observing the shape of its deflection. In a uniform electric field, the force on the electron, F=eEF=eE, is constant in magnitude and direction (independent of the electron's velocity), which produces a constant transverse acceleration — exactly analogous to projectile motion — resulting in a parabolic trajectory, and the electron's speed changes as it moves through the field (since the field does work on it). In a uniform magnetic field, by contrast, the force is F=evBF=evB, always perpendicular to the velocity, which changes only the direction of motion, never the speed — this produces a circular arc at constant speed, doing no work on the electron at all. So by observing whether the beam's path curves as a p …

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