- #1
Sorcerer
- 281
- 52
What happens to the velocity?
Say we have a piece of space debris in free fall. It has a particular velocity at a given time. Then say at some later time it's bombarded with ionic gas or something that causes it to become charged. Does the velocity change?
My guess would be yes, because the Lorentz Force law (in the simplest terms) is FL = q(E + v x B), and obviously when there is no charge, q is zero, right? So FL = 0, right? So whatever velocity it has prior to being charged, I'm assuming when it gains a charge, suddenly FL ≠ 0, which means the force just changed, and so the velocity must instantaneously change as well, correct?
If that's right, in what ways would the velocity change, and how dramatic a change in velocity is realistic in Earth's magnetosphere? Could we get a particle to suddenly be shot out into interplanetary space? If I'm not mistaken, it's possible for such a particle to start following a helical path when it becomes charged, or is that wrong?
Thanks for the replies.
Say we have a piece of space debris in free fall. It has a particular velocity at a given time. Then say at some later time it's bombarded with ionic gas or something that causes it to become charged. Does the velocity change?
My guess would be yes, because the Lorentz Force law (in the simplest terms) is FL = q(E + v x B), and obviously when there is no charge, q is zero, right? So FL = 0, right? So whatever velocity it has prior to being charged, I'm assuming when it gains a charge, suddenly FL ≠ 0, which means the force just changed, and so the velocity must instantaneously change as well, correct?
If that's right, in what ways would the velocity change, and how dramatic a change in velocity is realistic in Earth's magnetosphere? Could we get a particle to suddenly be shot out into interplanetary space? If I'm not mistaken, it's possible for such a particle to start following a helical path when it becomes charged, or is that wrong?
Thanks for the replies.