If apos object is traveling vertically and encounters an electric field

[GraceS]

that was going horizontally what would? If a positively charged object is traveling vertically and encounters an electric field that was going horizontally what would happen. Would the object follow the electric field or continue vertically. Or would it slowly begin to adjust to the field and gradually start to follow the electric field.

 

[Let'slearntothink]

Assuming that the field is uniform the positively charged particle will follow a projectile path. and the path will tend to align to the electric field slowly never aligning even up to infinity.

 

[vdoo]

Think of a free body diagram on the object. It begins with no forces but a constant vertical speed. When it enters the field, a horizontal force is applied to it. This means it will begin to accelerate in the horizontal direction of the force (since the forces on the particle are unbalanced in that direction) but it will continue to move vertically at the same vertical speed (since there are no forces acting in that direction to speed it up or slow it down).