- #1
Dishsoap
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Homework Statement
Consider a particle of charge q and mass m , free to move in the xy plane in response to an electromagnetic wave propagating in the z direction. Ignoring the magnetic force, find the velocity of the particle, as a function of time. Assume the average velocity is zero.
Homework Equations
## E(z,t) = E_0 cos(kz-wt) \hat{x} ##
I've omitted the phase constant here since I took it to be zero.
The Attempt at a Solution
Initially, I tried saying dv/dt = F/m = qE/m, where E is given as above. But I'm not quite sure what to make out of the fact that the average velocity is zero. I suppose this means it moves as a closed loop, so I have no idea what to make of this.