UC Riverside Researchers' Discovery Of Electrostatic Spin Topples Century-old Theory

Science Daily ^ | 4-3-2003 | Editorial Staff

[Southack]

"The right-hand rule deals with an electric current. The news above deals with an electrostatic charge."

Silly me, I always thought that DC (as in the "DC Voltage" applied to the spheres in this experiment) stood for Direct Current...

< /SARCASM >

[Physicist]

Already posted.

[Yeti]

When things like this come out, it is sometimes hard to tell whether the "scientists" are really that stupid, or if they are just bold frauds, playing to the ignorant in hopes of notoriety and grant money.

[Hank Kerchief]

Run a current through some spheres and they start to rotate...

Not a current. An electrostatic charge. There is no electromagnetic effect if there is not current.

Hank

[MainFrame65]

"I guess it just seems to me that there's too much beauty in the symmetry arguments of classical physics to do such a thing."

From my reading, the effect is very small. And for a very small effect, I suspect that very small asymmetries in the experimental setup might be the cause.

Still, this is interesting. Zero-point energy should be a scalar value, not a vector. This would be something else.

[aruanan]

Silly me, I always thought that DC (as in the "DC Voltage" applied to the spheres in this experiment) stood for Direct Current...

They used DC to charge the spheres. After they were charged, their charge was static. A static charge has no flow of current. The right-hand rule applies to a current flowing along a conductor.

[John Locke]

Maybe. But the story said they applied "a DC charge" to the spheres. That implies an electric current, at least for a short while. But hey, the story sure confuses me, so I could be wrong.

[John Locke]

There would have to be some prefered directionality in space-time for this to be true, and that's not observed in other places.

My feeling also. Of course, there is a preferred directionality in a terrestrial laboratory, thanks to the Earth's rotation and magnetic field. That would be my first suspect if things start mysteriously to spin.

[Hank Kerchief]

Maybe. But the story said they applied "a DC charge" to the spheres. That implies an electric current, at least for a short while. But hey, the story sure confuses me, so I could be wrong.

I agree the article did lack a certain lucidity, well, actually, it was damn confusing. You are absolutely right, DC is current, not a charge, and a charge is "electorstatic," not current. There is also the fact that the spin had something to do with the relationship of the charged spheres to each other, which think is the most interesting aspect (but apparently most neglected) of the story.

Hank

[Gary Boldwater]

It can be explained by current knowledge (forgive the pun). The field of an isolated charged conducting sphere is circularly symettric and the charge is on the surface. It experiences no torque.
In the presence of the other spheres the field is no longer circularly symettric. Forces are experienced by the sphere, causing rotation and probably pendular displacement.
The simplest example of this is an electron above a flat metal plate. The field of the electron is no longer circularly symettric. Because of this, it tends to move toward the plate (by induction of "positive" charge density on the surface of the plate, "positive" meaning less electrons in the vicinity).
If the net lines of force on a charged object are not symettric, the object will go into motion to try and make the field lines symettric through the motion. This is more apparent with materials that have less charge mobility.
The rotation rate is inversely proportional to the conductivity. The greater the conductivity, the faster the relaxation time of the material (the quicker charge can redistribute on the surface)and the less torque it experiences.

The rotating spheres do create a magnetic field.

[Southack]

While "a [Direct Current] DC voltage was applied to the spheres they began to rotate until the stiffness of the suspending wires prevented further rotation."

[JoeSchem]

Call us when you get linear propulsion a la 'The Dean Drive.'

Knight's Quest: Or How I learned to stop worrying and love the Crack of Doom

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Spin is used in quantum mechanics to explain phenomena at the nuclear, atomic, and molecular domains for which there is no concrete physical picture.

Spin is used in other areas too. Sigh. I wish I understood stuff like this but I'm too lazy or busy or both to study it. It sounds cool, though.

[bonesmccoy]

AHHH!!! Check out the spin out of these two metal spheres???

[aruanan]

While "a [Direct Current] DC voltage was applied to the spheres they began to rotate until the stiffness of the suspending wires prevented further rotation."

You altered the quote:

When a DC voltage was applied to the spheres they began to rotate until the stiffness of the suspending wires prevented further rotation.

The sentence in question does not say "while" but "when". You're assuming that it means "throughout the time that the current was being applied, the spheres rotated". This is not what it says. It does not say that a continuous current supplied the motive force for the rotation. This sentence is somewhat ambiguous. It could just as easily be saying that an applied DC current imparted a static charge which then drove the motion of the spheres in a manner hitherto unexpected. Since the whole point of the article is that the motion is unlike that of a typical motor, the latter is the more likely interpretation of the sentence.

[Southack]

I'm just saying that from the article, it appears to me as though these two "geniuses" have re-discovered the Right Hand rule.

Apply direct current [DC]. Get magnetic field effect.

Now, can I have my grant money for this "breakthrough"?!

[wcbtinman]

Gee wizz, I knew about this years ago. Didn't think it meant much. Still don't

[_Jim]

Anybone here understand the principle upon which a 'circulator' (three port RF device) or 'isolator' (two port RF device) operates on (electron precession)?

[Enduring Freedom]

Ayn Rand's electrostatic engine?

All government shills (arch enemies of personal freedom) now chime in.