Electrons are negative, same charges repel, then what about this?

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
3 replies · 2K views
Trojan666ru
Messages
104
Reaction score
0
Cathode rays are the flow of election, since electrons are -vely charged, is it normal for the rays to travel almost in a bundle without getting dispersed due to it's repulsion?
If you say it's because of its velocity, then if you imagine each electrons, they are at almost rest to each other, then why won't they scatter?
Lightning, they too do the same, how could they travel in a bundle without getting repelled each other?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Trojan666ru said:
Cathode rays are the flow of election, since electrons are -vely charged, is it normal for the rays to travel almost in a bundle without getting dispersed due to it's repulsion?
The parameters (width of the beam, current, acceleration, length, ...) are chosen in such a way that dispersion is not problematic.
If you say it's because of its velocity, then if you imagine each electrons, they are at almost rest to each other, then why won't they scatter?
Dispersion exists, but the electrons are far away from each other and the travel time is very short in typical cathode ray tubes.

Lightning, they too do the same, how could they travel in a bundle without getting repelled each other?
You don't need a net charge for lightning, the atoms where the electrons are from are still there.
 
When electricity arcs through air it forms a plasma path. The plasma path has lower resistance than regular air so the current follows it. Really big breakers actually blow air between the contacts as soon as they open to evacuate the plasma and extinguish the arc.