# Using functions to make loops

I'm trying to make a simulation of an electron that goes through a magnetic and electric field perpendicular to each other and to the velocity of the electron but I'm running in some troubles with the Mathematica language. I'm a beginner at Mathematica language and I ended up probably using too much procedural programming and I would like suggestions on how I can improve it using real Mathematica language. For those who saw this question before I edited it, the second problem was fixed and it was a simple logic mistake, so I took it of the question.

vel = {0.05*300000000, 0, 0}; (* velocity *)
pos = {0, 0, 0}; (* position *)
acel = {0, 0, 0}; (* acceleration *)
ce = {0, -5000, 0}; (* electric field *)
cm = {0, 0, -0.0003}; (* magnetic field *)
dt = 0.000000000001;
l = 0.05; (* length of the region where there are magnetic and electric fields *)
me = 9.10938*10^-31; (* electrons mass *)
q = -1.60217657*10^-19; (* elementary charge *)
data = Table[0, {i, 1000000}, {j, 2}];
For[count = 1, pos[[1]] <= 1.5*l, count++,
If[Abs[pos[[1]]] <= l, acel = q/me*(ce + (vel\[Cross]cm)), acel = {0, 0, 0}];
pos = pos + vel*dt + (acel*dt^2)/2; vel = vel + acel*dt;
data[[count, 1]] = pos[[1]]; data[[count, 2]] = pos[[2]]
];
For[r = 100000; s = 0.00001, r > 0.001, r = (r/10); s = (s/10),
While[Abs[vel[[2]]] > r, cm[[3]] = cm[[3]] - s;
vel = {0.05*300000000, 0, 0};
pos = {0, 0, 0};
data = Table[0, {i, 1000000}, {j, 2}];
For[count = 1, pos[[1]] <= 1.5*l, count++,
If[Abs[pos[[1]]] <= l, acel = q/me*(ce + (vel\[Cross]cm)), acel = {0, 0, 0}];
pos = pos + vel*dt + (acel*dt^2)/2; vel = vel + acel*dt;
data[[count, 1]] = pos[[1]]; data[[count, 2]] = pos[[2]]
];
];
];


I know that there are duplicate variable declarations and redundant statements in the code, its because I pasted everything together to post here, but it was originally apart.

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Please post code, not images of code, and make sure that code evaluates properly in a fresh kernel session. –  Yves Klett Oct 13 '13 at 8:00
I can't even read the tiny text in your code image. Please post your code with proper markdown formatting. –  m_goldberg Oct 13 '13 at 8:40
So what if I do? Do you expect me, then, to manually retype all your code into Mathematica so I can work with it? No way. –  m_goldberg Oct 13 '13 at 8:50
Markdown and formatting help: mathematica.stackexchange.com/help/formatting –  Yves Klett Oct 13 '13 at 8:59
Most users will only bite if code is posted here, which is sensible, too. –  Yves Klett Oct 13 '13 at 9:33

I adapted a very primitive procedure I wrote to mimick the computation of the orbit of Saturn as seen on volume 1 of the Feynman's Lectures on Physics. Let's define the constants:

me = 9.10938*10^-31;
q = -1.60217657*10^-19;


The state of the system at a given time is described by the vectors position (r) and mom--- velocity (v). The state of the system a quid dt after that time is given by:

nextStep[dt_][{r0_, v0_}] :=
Block[{a, v, r},
a = q/me(Ef + Cross[v0, Bf]);
v = v0 + a dt;
r = r0 + v dt;
{r, v}
];


(Two caveats, here: This is not the smartest way to compute a, v and r. I also have a version that follows Feynman's advice to make it a but smarter but I do not want to spoil your fun. Also, you'll have to add the condition in the computation of a. Something like a = If[ Abs[r0[[1]]]<1, that 'a' there, else 0].) EDIT: You might also want to impose similar conditions on the fields, in which case you will have to make them a function of position, so that a will use Ef[r0] and Bf[r0].

Let's write a procedure that computes all the steps you want. Since I totally lack fantasy, I will call it "compute".

compute[r0_, v0_, dt_, n_Integer] := NestList[nextStep[dt], {r0, v0}, n]


(NestList and Nest are function you want to learn). Let's compute a few values, shall we?

Ef = {0, -5000, 0}; Bf = {0, 0, -0.0003};
compute[{0, 0, 0}, {0.05*3 10^8, 0, 0}, 0.000000000001, 5]


you get a list in the form

{{r0,v0},{r1,v1},...,{r5,v5}}


From which you can extract the trajectory. For Feynman's example I had written a procedure to do just that (but I used only scalars, so since it is easy to write one, I won't bother you with that).

Oh, in case you are wondering what was that Feynman suggested to increase the precision of the computation, well... Look it up on the Lectures: Book I, Chapter 9, Psalm 7: Planetary Motion.

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