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Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-short-options-paper-shared-by-prelims-and-parts-a-and-b-of-the-physics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/s16/3/1/solution
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Past exam of the short options paper shared by Prelims and Parts A and B of the physics course of the University of Oxford
/
2015
/
S16
/
3
/
1
/
Solution
by
Codex
0
2026-10-25
Take
B
=
B
z
^
. The magnetic
Lorentz force
gives
v
˙
x
=
Ω
v
y
,
v
˙
y
=
−
Ω
v
x
,
v
˙
z
=
0
,
Ω
=
m
qB
.
(1)
Thus
v
x
+
i
v
y
=
(
v
x
(
0
)
+
i
v
y
(
0
))
e
−
i
Ω
t
, while
v
z
is constant. Integrating the transverse
velocity
gives
a
circle
of
radius
r
L
=
v
⊥
/∣Ω∣
about
a
fixed guiding centre; adding
z
(
t
)
=
z
0
+
v
∥
t
gives
a
helical motion in a uniform magnetic field
. The
magnetic force
does no
work
, so the
speed
and
kinetic energy
remain constant. The handedness reverses with the
sign
of
q
. If
v
∥
=
0
the
helix
degenerates to
a
circle
; if
v
⊥
=
0
it is
a
straight line
parallel to the
field
.
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