Question

The following figure shows tracks of three charged particles in a uniform electrostatic field. Give the signs of the three charges. Which particle has the highest charge-to-mass ratio?

Answer 1

1. We know that a positively charged particle is attracted toward the negatively charged plate and a negatively charged particle is attracted towards the positively charged plate.
2. In the given question figure particle 1 and particle 2 are attracted towards the positive plate which means particle 1 and particle 2 are negatively charged.
3. Particle 3 is attracted towards the negatively charged plate so it is positively charged.
4. The deflection in the path of a charged particle is directly proportional to the charge/mass ratio. It is given as $y\propto \frac{q}{m}$
5. Here, the deflection in particle 3 is maximum, so the charge to mass ratio of particle 3 is maximum.