Does electric charge bend anything?

AI Thread Summary
Electric charge does not bend spacetime like mass does, as electromagnetism is governed by quantum physics rather than General Relativity. The term "fabric" can be misleading since spacetime is a four-dimensional construct, making visualization of its curvature complex. While electric charges can influence matter, such as bending gold leaf in an electroscope, they do not affect all materials equally, as seen with magnetic forces having no impact on plastic or glass. The refractive index, which is dependent on charge density, allows electric charges to bend electromagnetic waves, contributing to phenomena like light dispersion. Overall, the interaction of forces and resistance is crucial in understanding how they operate in different contexts.
Prof Sabi
Messages
33
Reaction score
4
If mass is considered to bend space time fabric..
does electric charge bends anything?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
No. Electromagnetism is not modeled the same way that gravity is. Instead, EM is modeled by quantum physics, which treats the three non-gravitational fundamental forces very differently than General Relativity treats gravity.
 
Prof Sabi said:
If mass is considered to bend space time fabric..

and there is no space-time fabric :smile:
 
davenn said:
and there is no space-time fabric :smile:
well many people believe this but why not space ime fabric
 
Prof Sabi said:
well many people believe this but why not space ime fabric

Davenn means that 'fabric' is a misleading word. A fabric is usually thought of as a 2-dimensional object (or very thin 3-dimensional). However spacetime is 4-dimensional, with 3 dimensions of space and 1 of time. The diagram of a sheet being bend downwards by a massive objects is a 2-dimensional analogue of what is really going on. Unfortunately it's just really, really hard to visualize the curvature of a 4-D manifold. :biggrin:
 
  • Like
Likes davenn
Drakkith said:
Davenn means that 'fabric' is a misleading word. A fabric is usually thought of as a 2-dimensional object (or very thin 3-dimensional). However spacetime is 4-dimensional, with 3 dimensions of space and 1 of time. The diagram of a sheet being bend downwards by a massive objects is a 2-dimensional analogue of what is really going on. Unfortunately it's just really, really hard to visualize the curvature of a 4-D manifold. :biggrin:
thats the thing :smile:
 
I can't think of any force , no matter it's origin or it's composition ; would not have any effect on matter in it's path or in it's surrounding.
 
roger larouche said:
I can't think of any force , no matter it's origin or it's composition ; would not have any effect on matter in it's path or in it's surrounding.

The strong nuclear force does not interact with electrons, even if they pass through the nucleus of an atom.
 
Drakkith said:
The strong nuclear force does not interact with electrons, even if they pass through the nucleus of an atom.

The definition of a force do not have any value without resistance in it's path or in it's surrounding ~~ and ''Energy has the same definition''
 
  • #10
roger larouche said:
The definition of a force do not have any value without resistance in it's path or in it's surrounding ~~ and ''Energy has the same definition''

I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're getting at.
 
  • #11
roger larouche said:
I can't think of any force, no matter its origin or its composition ; would not have any effect on matter in its path or in its surrounding.
Magnetic force, for instance, has no effect on plastic or glass.
 
  • #13
Charge does bend EM waves.
We use the variation in Refractive Index to bend light through lenses in optical systems. That is because the RI, represents the relative velocity of the propagation of EM waves. RI = c / v.

Refractive Index is wavelength dependent and is determined by the density distribution of charge, and the rigidity of the molecules or space that contains that charge.

Dispersion results in rainbows. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispersion_(optics
See; https://www.pdx.edu/nanogroup/sites/www.pdx.edu.nanogroup/files/3_1___Microscopic_view_of_the_index_of_refraction_PRINT_2.pdf
 
  • #14
David Lewis said:
Magnetic force, for instance, has no effect on plastic or glass.

A force cannot be created nor calculated at it's value ; if it's ''opponent'' ( plastic ) do not offer any resistance
 
  • #15
roger larouche said:
A force cannot be created nor calculated at it's value ; if it's ''opponent'' ( plastic ) do not offer any resistance

Your preceding posts are very unclear. Are you talking about force in the context of an applied force, such as what would accelerate an object (without regard to the specific fundamental interaction responsible for the acceleration), or are you talking about force in the context of a fundamental interaction and its accompanying rules?
 
  • #16
roger larouche said:
Yes~Forces only exist as a result of an interaction. witch mean; +++ resistance more forces.
As force involves acceleration, something has to be accelerated, which does not want to. It's usually called Newton's first law, and not "resistance". La résistance was a Belgian and French movement against the German occupation during WWII.

Any other definition will have first to be given, e.g. friction, air resistance, rolling resistance, electric resistance and so forth. There is no general physical definition of resistance in its own right. It splits into what is specifically meant. Maybe you talk about inertia, which again brings us back to Newton's first law.
 
Back
Top