How does the Electric Field affect the trajectory of charged particles?

📌 CONCEPT: The Electric Field affects the trajectory of charged particles by providing a constant force perpendicular to the direction of motion, resulting in a deflection of the particle's path.

📐 RULE / FORMULA: The force experienced by a charged particle in an electric field is given by F = qE, where F is the force, q is the charge, and E is the electric field strength.

💡 WORKED EXAMPLE: Given a charged particle of mass 1 kg and charge 2 μC projected at an angle of 60° with a uniform electric field of 4 × 10^4 N/C, we can calculate the force acting on the particle using F = qE. Since the force is perpendicular to the velocity, it will result in a curved trajectory. If the charge is doubled, the force will also double, leading to a more pronounced deflection of the particle's path.

⚠️ COMMON MISTAKE: Students often forget to consider the direction of the electric field and the velocity of the charged particle, which can lead to an incorrect calculation of the force and hence the trajectory of the particle.