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The following particles move with same kinetic energy. Which of them has maximum momentum ?
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- Electron
- Proton
- Deutron
- Alpha Particle
- Electron
Correct Option: D
The formula for kinetic energy in terms of momentum for fundamental particles is basically just a quantized version of the classical formula,
KE = | ||
2m |
, where KE is kinetic energy, p is momentum and m is the particle’s mass. In our case, Kinetic energy is constant, therefore p2 = 2m meaning that momentum is directly propor-tional to mass. The mass of particles in ascending order is: alpha, proton and electron. So Alpha particle will have the maximum momentum.