10 replies to this topic

[Calvary]

http://what-if.xkcd.com/

 

'Proton Earth, Electron Moon'.

 

Outcome: The visible universe becomes a black hole.

[Mister Sympa]

I forget how much I fucking love science until I encounter stuff like this. When my dad gets back, we're fucking watching Cosmos.

[Mister Sympa]

Can someone please explain this bit:

 

Electrons are positively charged...

 

I was under the impression that electrons carry a negative charge. Does something change when a great force is issued on them?

[SpleenBeGone]

I clicked the link to the desktop partial accelerator hoping for something awesome. -.-

[Calvary]

I was gonna do it but I forgot. What was it? XD

[Mister Sympa]

CRT monitor.

[Silver_rose]

Can someone please explain this bit:

 

Electrons are positively charged...

 

I was under the impression that electrons carry a negative charge. Does something change when a great force is issued on them?

 

That's a fallacy, electrons and protons are inaptly named, the charge is actually redundant, and is only there to determine that there are two different charges and they interact in particular ways when placed near each other.

 

The reason he says Electrons are "positively" charged is because a point electric field produced by an electron emits out and produces repulsion when in the presence of another electron. This is only in the case of electrons being near each other, in the case of one placing proton, this particular model changes, the point electric field produced by the electron points inward making an attraction point charge, making it negative. Essentially, this model helps figure out the proper sign with the math involved, whether or not the charge produced will result in a negative, or a positive outcome.

 

The only thing I really have to gripe with this is: "If you put 10⁵² electrons together—to build a Moon—they push each other apart really hard. In fact, they push each other apart so hard, each electron would be shoved away with an unbelievable amount of energy."

While he's probably right, I'm not sure I entirely agree. He's transferring concepts from a quantum universe to a macro universe, which is a difficult thing to do.

[Mister Sympa]

Then why the FUCK are we all taught that protons = positive and electrons = negative?

[Silver_rose]

Then why the FUCK are we all taught that protons = positive and electrons = negative?

 

Essentially, this model helps figure out the proper sign with the math involved, whether or not the charge produced will result in a negative, or a positive outcome.

[Mister Sympa]

Hnn... I think I get it. So, they only have charges when the opposite force is acted upon them and they react?

[Silver_rose]

Hnn... I think I get it. So, they only have charges when the opposite force is acted upon them and they react?

 

No, they always have a charge, the charge is superfluous when they are the same, because whether they are positive or negative, the same thing happens.

But lets say you have two electrons and a proton: 

The net forces that react on these three particles will be that one electron will repel the other and attract the proton, and the same for the other electron and the proton will be attracted to both electrons. The system of the three particles will also be negatively charged, because we've determined that p=+ and e=-.