a) The magnetic field of the Earth falls off as a magnetic dipole field. If the strength of the field at the Earth's surface is B = 3.8 x 10-5 Tesla, what is the strength one Earth radius above the Earth's surface?
b) The Sun's corona sends high energy protons and electrons towards the Earth (the Solar Wind). A typical solar wind proton has an energy of K=6.0 KeV (thousand electron volts). An eV (electron volt) is the kinetic energy an electron gains when it moves by ΔV = 1 Volt in an electric potential. Express the proton's energy in joules.
c) How fast is the proton moving? (You will need to look up the mass of the proton, in kilograms, online.)
d) What is the force on the proton from the Earth's magnetic field when it is 1 Earth radius above the Earth's surface? Assume the proton is moving at right angles to the Earth's field.
e) What is the radius of the cyclotron orbit the proton will make?
f) Compare the size of the cyclotron orbit to the distance from the Earth's surface. Does the Earth's magnetic field prevent the proton from flying to the Earth's surface?