Is Electron Gravity the Same as Earth's Gravitational Force?

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    Electron Gravity
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the behavior of electrons in a gravitational field, specifically whether an electron fired horizontally in an evacuated tube would follow a trajectory similar to that of a bullet. Participants explore the implications of gravity on electrons compared to other masses and the practicality of such experiments.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether an electron fired horizontally would follow a bullet-like trajectory, expressing curiosity about the outcome of such an experiment.
  • Another participant notes that in linear accelerators and synchrotron light sources, the effects of gravity on electrons and other particles are negligible or undetectable.
  • It is mentioned that electrons fall at the same rate as other masses, but the high speeds of electron guns make it difficult to observe any significant drop due to gravity.
  • Concerns are raised about the lack of experimental verification for the bullet-like trajectory of electrons, prompting a request for supporting information regarding this claim.
  • One participant highlights that the force on an electron from the Earth's electric field is significantly larger than the gravitational force, suggesting practical implications for the behavior of electrons in such contexts.
  • Another point made is that if electrons did not fall under gravity, it would imply a material dependence to gravity much larger than currently observed, indicating that existing measurements already provide insight into this question.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the experimental verification of electron trajectories and the implications of gravitational effects on electrons. No consensus is reached regarding the nature of electron behavior in gravitational fields.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the experimental setup and the influence of external fields, which may affect the outcomes and interpretations of the proposed scenarios.

mkristof
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Has anyone ever "fired" an electron down the center of an evacuated tube (horizontally) to see if the electron follows the same trajectory as a bullet fired from a gun? This might seem like a simplistic question, but I have always wanted to know what would happen.

Mark
 
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You do know that we have had many long linear accelerator, don't you? I'm fact in synchrotron light sources, the electrons stay in the storage ring for a long time.

In all of these facility, the effect of gravity, even on protons and heavy nuclei, are negligible to indetectable.

Zz.
 
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mkristof said:
Has anyone ever "fired" an electron down the center of an evacuated tube (horizontally) to see if the electron follows the same trajectory as a bullet fired from a gun? This might seem like a simplistic question, but I have always wanted to know what would happen.

Electrons will fall at the same rate as any other mass. But you won't measure much of a drop on Earth. Electron gun speeds are in the millions of meters per second. Typical CRT guns in monitors and TVs emit at around 1.5 to 3.5 million m/s. That's awfully fast to observe a trajectory. :bugeye:
 
In other words the answer to mkristof's question is that the bullet like trajectory has not been experimentally verified. This answer could have been given in neutral manner too.
 
jostpuur said:
In other words the answer to mkristof's question is that the bullet like trajectory has not been experimentally verified.

Why would you say that? Do you have information to support this?

Are you suggesting that electrons may be massless, or that they might possesses some new property that allows their mass to defy gravity?

The OP wrote, "I have always wanted to know what would happen." I think ZapperZ's and my replies were offered in that direction.
 
In addition to the other points that have been brought up, there is another issue of practicality: the force on an electron due to the Earth's electric field is a trillion times larger than the force on an electron from the Earth's gravitational field.

Furthermore, if electrons did not fall, we would observe a material dependence to gravity about 40 million times larger than our present best limits. Since we don't see that, we already know the answer from other, less direct measurements.
 

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