a mass spectrometer can be used to measure the speeds of hea

a mass spectrometer can be used to measure the speeds of heavy ions. If the ions all have the charge of a single proton but have a mass of 220 protons, and the magnetic field of the spectrometer is 1.3 T and its maximum radius is 2.3 m, what is the fastest speed the spectrometer can measure?

Solution

R = mV/qB

=> V = qBR/m = 1.6*10^-19*1.3*2.3)/(220*1.67*10^-27) = 1302123 m/s = 1.30*10^6 m/s