- #1
Holbridge
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Hi everyone, I don't mean to offend anyone (actually I'm looking for help), it's just that I am having a hard time believing the superposition principle and below is the reason why I cannot believe it and what I want to do because of it. so I was reading chapter 21 on my physics book and something caught my attention. You see, there is an equation that states the net force between two objects with equal or different charges and later it says something about a "principle of superposition". The formula is:
[itex]F = k\frac{Q_{1}Q_{2}}{r^{2}}[/itex]
Obviously, according to the equation if there is a third object between the two objects of interest, such an object does not influence the force of repulsion or attraction between the other two objects and that is why they say this whole thing about superposition, but I find such a thing hard to believe. I mean, really? Electric force acts over a distance and disregards everything in between the two objects? I don't believe it one bit. This sounds like magic, not science. Is such a statement about "superposition" experimentally proved? Mathematically talking it is proved. I mean, the equation is clear and ignores anything in between the two charged objects, but that's the equation, what about experimentally?
Later in the same chapter it says the following:
I say, hell yes he did. Anyone would. I'm not an "early thinker" and this is 21st century, but this superposition thing is ridiculous; nonsense; preposterous! I've tried, but I cannot possibly understand it, to me the superposition principle is simply crazy. Unlike what the superposition principle says, I believe objects in between do have an effect. I cannot believe in such a statement (superposition) until I see it with my own eyes. That is why I want to make an experiment with charged objects.
I want to know how to negatively charge a piece of lead to experiment with it and other pieces of lead. What I want is basically saturate it with electrons. I know that rubbing objects with a cloth will add static electricity to them, but a cloth won't give them enough charge to possible see the repulsion of them with my eyes. I need to really really saturate them with one charge to see the effects. Anyone here knows how can I accomplish such a task?
I chose tiny pieces of lead because it is not attracted by magnets so that way I eliminate any interference of other things around generating magnetic fields (for that matter even the Earth's magnetic field) and see the full effects of the phenomena.
[itex]F = k\frac{Q_{1}Q_{2}}{r^{2}}[/itex]
Obviously, according to the equation if there is a third object between the two objects of interest, such an object does not influence the force of repulsion or attraction between the other two objects and that is why they say this whole thing about superposition, but I find such a thing hard to believe. I mean, really? Electric force acts over a distance and disregards everything in between the two objects? I don't believe it one bit. This sounds like magic, not science. Is such a statement about "superposition" experimentally proved? Mathematically talking it is proved. I mean, the equation is clear and ignores anything in between the two charged objects, but that's the equation, what about experimentally?
Later in the same chapter it says the following:
The idea of a force acting at a distance was a difficult one for early thinkers. Newton himself felt uneasy with this idea when he published his law of universal gravitation.
I say, hell yes he did. Anyone would. I'm not an "early thinker" and this is 21st century, but this superposition thing is ridiculous; nonsense; preposterous! I've tried, but I cannot possibly understand it, to me the superposition principle is simply crazy. Unlike what the superposition principle says, I believe objects in between do have an effect. I cannot believe in such a statement (superposition) until I see it with my own eyes. That is why I want to make an experiment with charged objects.
I want to know how to negatively charge a piece of lead to experiment with it and other pieces of lead. What I want is basically saturate it with electrons. I know that rubbing objects with a cloth will add static electricity to them, but a cloth won't give them enough charge to possible see the repulsion of them with my eyes. I need to really really saturate them with one charge to see the effects. Anyone here knows how can I accomplish such a task?
I chose tiny pieces of lead because it is not attracted by magnets so that way I eliminate any interference of other things around generating magnetic fields (for that matter even the Earth's magnetic field) and see the full effects of the phenomena.
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