A monochromatic light is incident on a metallic plate having work function
. An electron, emitted normally to the plate from a point A with maximum kinetic energy, enters a constant magnetic field, perpendicular to the initial velocity of electron. The electron passes through a curve and hits back the plate at a point
. The distance between
and
is: (Given: The magnitude of charge of an electron is e and mass is m, h is Planck's constant and c is velocity of light. Take the magnetic field exists throughout the path of electron)
Text Solution
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To determine the distance between points
and
(where the electron re-enters the metallic plate), we first need to understand the electron's behavior in a magnetic field.
Maximum Kinetic Energy (KE): The energy of the emitted electron can be given by the photoelectric equation:

Here,
is the energy of the incident photons, and
is the work function of the metal.
Momentum (p): The momentum of the electron is related to its kinetic energy by the equation:

Path of Electron in Magnetic Field: When an electron moves perpendicularly through a magnetic field, it follows a circular path. The radius
of this path is given by:

where
is the charge of the electron, and
is the magnetic field strength.
Distance Between
and
: Since the electron travels back to the plate, forming a complete semicircle, the distance between points
and
is twice the radius of this circular path:

Substituting the expression for momentum, we find:

Therefore, the distance between
and
is
.
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