Lorentz force

The force exerted on a charged particle by electric and magnetic fields. Its magnetic component depends on the particle’s velocity and acts perpendicular to both its motion and the magnetic field.

Lorentz force law: The equation giving electromagnetic force as charge times the electric field plus velocity crossed with the magnetic field. It expresses the defining dependence on charge, velocity, and both fields.
Electric charge: A fundamental property of matter that determines its electromagnetic interactions. The force reverses direction when the sign of the particle’s charge changes.
Cyclotron: A particle accelerator that uses a magnetic field and alternating electric voltage to accelerate charged particles. Its magnetic field bends particles into repeated semicircular paths.
Coulomb's law: The law giving the electrostatic force between two point charges in terms of their charges and separation. It describes electric force between charges, unlike the full velocity-dependent electromagnetic force.
Electric field: A vector field that gives the electric force per unit positive charge at each point. Its contribution can accelerate a charge even when the particle is stationary.
Velocity: The rate and direction of an object's change in position over time. The magnetic contribution vanishes for a charge at rest.
Mass spectrometry: A method that identifies ions by measuring their mass-to-charge ratios. Electromagnetic forces steer ions so their trajectories reveal mass-to-charge ratios.
Newton's law of universal gravitation: The classical law stating that masses attract with a force proportional to their product and inversely proportional to distance squared. Gravity provides a familiar long-range force without charge or magnetic dependence.
Magnetic field: A vector field describing magnetic effects on moving charges, currents, and magnetic materials. It supplies the velocity-dependent part of the force.
Current density: Electric current per unit cross-sectional area, represented as a vector describing charge flow. A moving charge distribution turns the particle force into a force on currents.

Linked from 40 pages