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HIGH ENERGY PARTICLES IN THE EARTH’S MAGNETOSPHERE INTRODUCTION Cosmic rays are not actually part of the electromagnetic spectrum, but are actually particles that have high electron volt values and travel at speeds almost the same as light. Not a lot is known about the origins of high-energy particles, but we do know some information and some estimated values. There are really three main questions I want answered on this topic. “What are high energy particles and where do they come from? Why are we on Earth not affected by these particles when they contain so much energy? and, what are some other high energy particles in our knowledge other than cosmic rays?”. There is a huge amount of information available on high-energy particles with some of it very hard to understand without a good background of physics on the topic. I will be discussing the ideas of electromagnetic rays and how it is related to high-energy particles and the physics behind it. I will talk about high-energy particles, what they are and where they are from and the physics involved in it. I will relate the importance of the Earth’s magnetosphere and how that is connected t physics. Finally, I will explain some other energetic physics from the sun, like the solar winds and an event that changed the Earth’s radiation belt. INFORMATION SOURCES Internet sites: · The exploration of the Earth’s Magnetosphere, www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/Intro.html This site provided information on the Earth’s Magnetosphere, high-energy particles and a basic knowledge of the aspects of the universe. · Universe Today, www.universetoday.com This site provided me with basic knowledge and current events of the space near Earth, as well as cosmic rays. Text Books: · PES Physics essentials text book This text gave me the fundamentals of light, electromagnetic rays, electric fields and magnetic fields. · Britannica This gave me general information on cosmic rays and other space phenomena, which was useful for a basic understanding of how we have progressed.
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