Electrons are deflected by magnetic fields.
Electrons are deflected by magnetic fields. This is because magnetic fields act upon any particles that carry an electric charge. The extent to which any charged particle is deflected by magnet depends on the strength of the field and the size of the particle's charge. An electron carries a minute electrical charge and therefore has movement in a magnetic field.
Magnetic Field Strength Definition
Magnetic fields have analogous characteristics to electrical and gravitational fields. The strength of an electrical field is defined force experienced by a particle per unit charge, and gravitational field strength is the force per unit of mass. The concept of magnetic field strength is slightly more complicated and defined as the force acting on a conductor per unit of conductor length per unit current. This means that magnetic fields are generated by the movement of charged electrical particles. The movement of electrical charge is more usually called an electrical current.
Magnetic field strength is also called flux density or magnetic induction. The international unit of flux density is called the Tesla, named after the 19th Century Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla.
Electron Behavior in Magnetic Fields
Magnetic flux density is a vector quantity, meaning that it has both magnitude and direction. The direction of the magnetic force felt on a charged body depends on whether it is positively or negatively charged. An electron and a proton will experience the same size of force in a magnetic field; however, as an electron is negatively charged and a proton is positively charged, these forces will be in opposite directions.
Directions of Magnetic Fields
Magnetic fields cannot exist without the presence of a moving electrical charge. A magnetic field is generated at a right angle to an electrical field; the magnetic force on a charged particle, such as an electron, acts at a right angle to both the electric field and the magnetic field. Fleming's left-hand rule shows the direction of the force, the electric and magnetic currents. When each are held at right angles, the thumb shows the direction of the force or thrust; the first finger shows the direction of the field and the second finger shows the direction of the current.
Earth's Magnetic Field
The earth has a very strong magnetic field. The field is generated by the rotation of the planet's large, molten iron core. The sun generates high energy, electrically charged particles, including electrons, that would be lethal to living beings; however, the earth's magnetic field successfully deflects these dangerous particles.
As with all magnets, the flux density of the earth's field is strongest at its poles and this is where charged solar particles are most deflected. The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and Aurora Australis are the result of this deflection.
The presence of the magnetic field has aided in the emergence and evolution of life. Geological data suggests that the field fluctuates in strength and, every few hundred thousand years spontaneously changes its polarity. If this were to happen, then all of the compasses that currently point north would point south.
Tags: magnetic field, flux density, shows direction, electrical charge, charged particle
