- #1
Karl Coryat
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- TL;DR Summary
- Why a test charge at rest in the lab frame does not experience a force from a current
I am intrigued by the special-relativity explanation of magnetic force discussed here (linked from the physicsforums FAQ): http://www.edu-observatory.org/physics-faq/Relativity/SR/experiments.html#Length_Contraction
Naively, from this explanation, it seems that a test charge at rest in the lab frame should experience a force from a current-carrying wire, since the electrons' fields are Lorentz-contracted relative to the test charge, but the nuclei fields are not. And, that the test charge should experience no force only if the positive and negative charges in the wire are moving in equal and opposite directions relative to the test charge, i.e., when the test charge is moving along the wire at 1/2 the drift velocity. But that's not what happens. What am I missing?
Naively, from this explanation, it seems that a test charge at rest in the lab frame should experience a force from a current-carrying wire, since the electrons' fields are Lorentz-contracted relative to the test charge, but the nuclei fields are not. And, that the test charge should experience no force only if the positive and negative charges in the wire are moving in equal and opposite directions relative to the test charge, i.e., when the test charge is moving along the wire at 1/2 the drift velocity. But that's not what happens. What am I missing?