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A charged particle gains energy due to ______.

Asked in RS Academy GUJCET booklet · Lorentz force and work done

Answer: (1) electric field

Step-by-step solution

Idea: a particle gains energy only from a force that does work, that is, one with a component along the displacement.

Electric force: q⃗E has a fixed direction, so a charge moving along ⃗E is pushed forward through the whole displacement and gains energy qEd.

Magnetic force: q(⃗v×⃗B) is perpendicular to ⃗v, so ⃗F·⃗v=0 and the work done is zero at every instant.

A magnetic field can therefore bend the path and change the momentum, but it cannot change the speed.

So a charged particle gains energy from the electric field.

Why the other options are wrong

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