Advanced search

Answers


Can electrons feel the force of gravity?

I'm sure the answer to this will be yes, but is there any experiment or astronomical observation that proves it?  For example, could I weigh a wire,  then weigh it again when a current is passing through it and see a difference?

sssss
 (no votes)

submit an answer
  • Member status
  • none

Categories: Our universe.

Tags: gravity, electrons.

 

Report abuse


2 answer(s)


Reply

Jon-Richfield says:

"Feel"? I never asked one!

Respond to? Yes certainly. How important that is under normal circumstances is another matter. The effect of gravity on an electron is so much weaker than electric fields, that usually we can ignore it. Yes, experiments have in fact been done, but they are a little more elaborate than you suggest. For one thing, a wire conducting an electric current need not have any more electrons in it than otherwise; it might even have fewer.

You could however increase the number of electrons in the wire by giving it a negative charge, but that would not help much; by the time that you managed any measurable change in weight, the charge would be so enormous that something would have to give! Either the wire would come apart, or more likely the electrons would begin to boil out of the metal, or leap out in the form of sparks.

The most obvious way to achieve any precise measurement of the mass of charged particles like electrons is with a mass spectrometer, a most charming principle: look it up! For all everyday purposes, including Einsteinian relativity, the mass determines how a body of any nature whatever reacts to gravity and acceleration.

Cheers,

 

Jon

 

sssss
 (no votes)

Tags: gravity, electrons, acceleration, MassSpectrometer, ElectricCharge.

top

posted on 2010-03-18 16:07:23 | Report abuse


Reply

Angelar says:

An electron has about 1/1860th the mass of a proton, so about a 1/4000th of the weight of the wire is electron weight, if each atom contains a few more neutrons than protons. A wire with a current running through it has the same number of electrons as a wire without any current through, unless it has an overall charge. However, the moving current cause a very slight increase in mass, equal to the amount of electrical energy in the current divided by the speed of light.

sssss
 (no votes)

Tags: gravity, electrons.

top

posted on 2010-12-02 21:25:16 | Report abuse


The last word is ...

the place where you ask questions about everyday science

Answer questions, vote for best answers, send your videos and audio questions, save favourite questions and answers, share with friends...

register now


ADVERTISMENT