The discussion revolves around the concept of length contraction as it pertains to electrons moving through a still wire, particularly from the perspective of an observer at rest relative to the wire. Participants explore the implications of special relativity on the spacing between electrons and the nature of their interactions.
Participants express differing views on the nature of length contraction and its effects on electron spacing and interactions. No consensus is reached regarding the implications of these relativistic effects.
Some claims depend on the definitions of length contraction and the nature of electric fields around electrons. The discussion includes unresolved assumptions about the effects of relativistic speeds on electron interactions.
This discussion may be of interest to those studying special relativity, electromagnetism, or the behavior of charged particles in conductive materials.
They have electric fields, which are contracted when the electron moves.Nugatory said:Electrons are point particles whose length is zero, so there's nothing to contract.
Which would increase their mutual repulsion, if the electrons (their E-fields) weren't contracted as well.Nugatory said:The way to get the electrons to move closer together is for you, the observer, to be in motion relative to the wire; that will contract the length between them.
It allows them to be closer together in the observers frame than in the electrons frame, while the repulsive force is the same.Scheuerf said:Exactly, and if the repulsions between the electrons contract, wouldn't that allow them to become closer together?
That's a misleading way to put it. Contracted repulsive fields are still repulsive, and don't bring anything together.Scheuerf said:the contracting of the electrons would cause the electrons to come closer together.
Doug Huffman said:Electron drift velocity (q.v.) in wire is on the order of millimeters per second.