East
Explanation:
When a charged particle moves in a region with a magnetic field, the particle experiences a force whose magnitude is given by
[tex]F=qvB sin \theta[/tex]
where
q is the charge of the particle
v is its velocity
B is the magnitude of the magnetic field
[tex]\theta[/tex] is the angle between the directions of v and B
When the particle travels perpendicular to the field, the direction of the force can be found by using the right hand rule; the index finger, the middle finger and the thumb of the right hand are placed perpendicular to each other, and:
- The index finger corresponds to the direction of the velocity
- The middle finger corresponds to the direction of the magnetic field
- The thumb gives the direction of the force (for a positive charge); for a negative charge, this direction is reversed
In this problem, we have:
- Index finger: towards the north (direction of velocity)
- Middle finger: vertically downward (magnetic field)
- So, the thumb is towards the west; however, the electron is negatively charged, so the direction of the force is towards the east.
