Lorentz force and direction
A positron moves through a region in which the electric fields is uniform in the -direction and the magnetic field is uniform in the -direction. What is the direction of the terminal velocity of the positron?
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1 solution
Relevant wiki: Lorentz Force Law (Magnetic and Mixed Fields)
In order for the particle to move with its terminal velocity, the net force must be 0, so the electric and magnetic forces must be equal and opposite. Since the electric field points in the + x -direction, the electric force will as well. Thus, the magnetic force must be in the − x -direction. By the right-hand-rule, a field in the + y -direction produces a force in the − x -direction when the velocity is in the + z -direction.