A linear accelerator consists of four identical gaps
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Fields and their consequences · Fields and their consequences
Problem
A linear accelerator consists of four identical gaps. Each time an electron crosses a gap it experiences the same 5.0 kV increase in electric potential. Non-electric forces and relativistic effects can be neglected, and the electron starts from rest before entering the first gap.
(a) Calculate the total kinetic energy gained by the electron after it has crossed all four gaps.
(b) Determine the speed of the electron immediately after it exits the fourth gap. Give your answer to an appropriate number of significant figures.
(c) Identify one assumption made in the calculation above and briefly discuss how violating that assumption could alter the numeric result.