A charged particle is released from rest in a region of space in which steady and uniform electric and magnetic fields are parallel to each other. The particle will move in a

Step-by-step solution

The force on a charged particle moving in electric and magnetic fields is given by the Lorentz force equation: F = q( E + v B ) . Given that the electric field E and magnetic field B are parallel, let E = E k and B = B k . The particle is released from rest, so its initial velocity v = 0 . The initial force acting on the particle is F = q E = qE k . This force causes the particle to accelerate in the direction of the electric field, which is along the k axis. As the particle gains velocity v in the k direction, the