Show Me The Physics

Mass Spectrometer Lab

Enter the spectrometer, launch ions, change one variable at a time, and use the instrument readouts to determine the mass of an unknown ion.

Challenge 1 of 4 0 / 2 trials

At mass 2.0 × 10⁻²⁶ kg, launch with F = 2.0 × 10⁻¹⁶ N and F = 4.0 × 10⁻¹⁶ N.

Electric force 2.0 × 10⁻¹⁶ N
Measured acceleration —
Ion mass 2.0 × 10⁻²⁶ kg
Electric-deflection mass spectrometer One or three positive ions travel through an electric field and curve toward a detector. Strobe dots mark equal time intervals. −−−−− +++++ ION SOURCE DETECTOR + F ELECTRIC FIELD STROBE DOTS: EQUAL TIME INTERVALS
Force 2.0 × 10⁻¹⁶ N
Ion mass 2.0 × 10⁻²⁶ kg