Past exam of the physics 2 paper of the University of Oxford / 2016 / 2 / Solution

The Lorentz force isFor $\mathbf{E}=0$, the magnetic part is perpendicular to the velocity, so its instantaneous power $\mathbf{F}\cdot \mathbf{v}$ vanishes. The speed and kinetic energy therefore remain constant. Decompose the initial velocity into $v_{\parallel }$ along the uniform magnetic field and $v_{\perp }$ perpendicular to it. The parallel component is unchanged, while the perpendicular component rotates uniformly.

For a nonrelativistic particle with $qB\ne 0$, the resulting helical motion hasHere $r_L$ is the Larmor radius, ${\omega }_c$ the cyclotron frequency in angular units, and $h$ the axial advance per turn. Opposite signs of electric charge give opposite senses of rotation. Pure perpendicular motion gives a circle; pure parallel motion gives a straight line. If $q=0$ or $B=0$, there is no magnetic deflection. At relativistic speeds, replace $m$ in the radius and period by $\gamma m$; $\gamma$ stays constant because the magnetic force does no work.