D E M O N S T R AT I O N S

10.2 Cathode rays

electron gun metal
plate
cathode/ anode
filament electron
beam
+
0–1000 V
DC supply
6V
supply
to heat
filament – vacuum

fluorescent
screen
– 3000 V +
DC supply

Warning: Take care when using high voltages.

Aim: To demonstrate the existence of cathode rays and to show that charged particles, such as cathode
rays can be deflected by electric and magnetic fields.

Equipment:
� A cathode ray tube � A bar magnet
� A suitable power supply for the cathode
� A voltage supply for the electric fields (acceleration
and deflection)

Method
● Switch on the electron source.
● Apply a sufficiently high voltage to the anode
to accelerate the electrons so that they cause
fluorescence when they hit the screen. This
demonstrates the existence of particles that
were created at the cathode, hence called
cathode rays.
● Apply a vertical electric field in the path of
the cathode rays to the screen by applying
a voltage to the horizontal deflection plates.
Demonstrate that the beam is deflected in the
vertical plane.
● Reverse the direction of the field and
demonstrate that the deflection is also reversed.
● Bring a bar magnet close to the florescent
screen so that its field is perpendicular to the
beam direction to demonstrate that a magnetic
field can deflect a charged beam.
Applications
Cathode ray oscilloscope (see page 244 of the
textbook).
Radioactivity (see page 253 of the textbook).
The nature of the radiation emitted in
the decay of a radioactive particle (see
demonstration 11.1) can also be identified
using electric fields. Alpha particles are deflected
parallel to the field lines (towards the negative),
beta particles anti-parallel to the field lines
(towards the positive), and gamma rays are un-
deflected since they have no charge. Magnetic
fields can also be used to identify the nature of
the emitted radiation.

© OUP: this may be reproduced for class use solely for the purchaser’s institute