Paths of Electrons in a Constant Electric Field

The simplest way to produce a uniform electric filed is to put two oppositely charge plates opposite each other.

The electron enters from the left. When it enters the field it experiences a force

We can find the acceleration using

We can integrate this to find the velocityseconds after entering the field:

We can integrate this to find thedistance movedseconds after entering the field:(1)

The electron is moving to the right at a constant speedso

Substitute this into (1) to obtainThis is the equation of a parabola.

Because an electron is so light it's acceleration is usually very large:

Ifand