You have a job examining patent applications. You?re presented with the device in Fig. 20.30, which its

Question:

You have a job examining patent applications. You?re presented with the device in Fig. 20.30, which its inventor claims will separate isotopes of a particular element. Atoms are first stripped completely of their electrons, then accelerated from rest through an electric field chosen to give the desired isotope exactly the right speed to pass through the electrostatic analyzer. Will the device work?