Re: Park City Paradox ?

[Robert Cohen <Robert.Cohen@PO-BOX.ESU.EDU>]

I guess I had the same misconception as Ludwik...

Isn't the magnetic force proportional to (q_1v_1)(q_2v_2)/r^2?
If both charges are moving with speed c in our reference frame, wouldn't
this give rise to a magnetic attraction?

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Robert Cohen           rcohen@po-box.esu.edu
570-422-3428         http://www.esu.edu/~bbq
Department of Physics
East Stroudsburg University
East Stroudsburg, PA  18301
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Mallinckrodt [mailto:ajmallinckro@CSUPOMONA.EDU]
> Sent: Monday, January 07, 2002 7:36 PM

> I would say not.  Two electrons observed by us to be moving side
> by side at the same speed, no matter how high that speed is (but
> remembering that it will necessarily be less than the speed of
> light), *will* begin to move apart because of the mutual
> electrostatic repulsion that they feel in their own reference
> frame. Observers in *all* reference frames will agree that there
> is a net repulsive force that is responsible for the observed
> divergence.