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.
Length contraction of electrons is a phenomenon in the field of physics where the length of an electron appears shorter when it is moving at high speeds. This is due to the effects of special relativity, which states that as an object approaches the speed of light, its length appears to decrease from the perspective of an observer.
Length contraction of electrons occurs because of the time dilation effect of special relativity. As an electron moves at high speeds, its time frame is slowed down, causing its length to appear shorter to an observer. This is because the distance between two points is measured by the time it takes for light to travel between them, and as time slows down for the electron, the distance appears shorter to the observer.
No, length contraction can occur for any object that is moving at high speeds. However, it is most noticeable for particles with extremely small masses, such as electrons.
Length contraction does not affect the properties of electrons, as it is simply a result of the effects of special relativity. The mass and charge of an electron remain constant regardless of its speed or length contraction.
No, length contraction of electrons can only be observed in experiments involving extremely high speeds, close to the speed of light. In everyday life, the speeds of electrons are not high enough for length contraction to be noticeable.