Answer:
The charged particle follows a spiral path in a magnetic field.
Explanation:
A charge immersed in a region with an electric field experiences a force that acts along the same direction of the electric field. In particular:
- The force has the same direction as the electric field if the charge is positive
- The force has the opposite direction as the electric field if the charge is negative
Therefore, a charge moving in an electric field is accelerated along the direction of the electric field.
On the other hand, a charge in motion in a region with a magnetic field experiences a force that acts perpendicular to the direction of the field. This means that a charge in motion in a magnetic field will acquire a circular motion in the plane perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field.
As a result, if the particle has also a original motion outside this plane, its final motion will consist of:
- A uniform motion along that direction, +
- A circular motion along the plane perpendicular to the field
So, the resultant motion of the particle will be a spiral path. So the correct answer is
The charged particle follows a spiral path in a magnetic field.
