HackerTube
HomeLongsLikedHistoryWatch laterCategoriesPlaylistsSettings

How Special Relativity Makes Magnets Work

Veritasium7 HN recommenders · recommended in 7 months, 2014-2024
YouTube
4M views · 13 years ago · explainer · evergreen

Veritasium explains magnetism as a consequence of special relativity. Length contraction of moving charges makes a current in a wire attract or repel a nearby moving charge.

HN commenters recommend it as a short, clear explanation of why moving charges create magnetic fields.

Fundamental physics#specialrelativity#magnetism#lengthcontraction#electromagnetism#veritasium

8 comments from Hacker News

@amelius2024 · in “NASA Discovers a Long-Sought Global Electric Field on Earth”

I think what GP meant is that (from one viewpoint) magnetism is an emergent property of the electric field and relativity. Here is a simple explanation: ▶ this video

RecommendsView on HN
@lugoues2024 · in “Why does current flow the opposite way from the electrons?”

Sort of, electricity and magnetism are two sides of the same coin, electromagnetism, so it's waves in the electromagnetic field with the wire acting as a wave guide. (as far as I understand) Veritasium has a video that goes over this. It was pretty controversial at release but it gives a good overview. link And why magnets work due to relativity ▶ this video

RecommendsView on HN
@programmer_dude2021 · in “Why can’t I go faster than the speed of light?”

Wow, this is the first time I have understood why nothing can go faster than the speed of light and why time dilation is a thing. A very easy to read article, give it a try. Also if you are curious why a moving charge creates a magnetic field watch this Veritasium video: ▶ this video

RecommendsView on HN
@HPsquared2020 · in “Bohr–van Leeuwen theorem – magnetism in solids is a quantum mechanical effect”

Magnetism is a side effect of special relativity: moving charges have length contraction (depending on frame of reference) which makes them appear more/less dense and therefore an attractive/repulsive force. Veritasium on YouTube made a much better explanation: ▶ this video

RecommendsView on HN
@rovolo2020 · in “Why is Maxwell's theory so hard to understand? (2007) [pdf]”

Here's a video explainer: ▶ this video Magnetism affects moving charges, but not stationary charges. A magnetic field in your reference frame is really just an electric field in the moving charge's reference frame.

RecommendsView on HN
@snarfy2020 · in “Ultimate Electronics”

That's right. Here is a pretty good video explaining magnetism as a relativistic effect of electrostatics - ▶ this video

RecommendsView on HN
@snarfy2014 · in “Is Aluminum Magnetic? (2013)”

Another fun fact: Magnetic fields are a consequence of relativity and length contraction of electric fields. link This video also talks about it: ▶ this video

CitesView on HN
@kull2014 · in “How Magnets Produce Electricity (1954) [video]”

Here some modern explanation of the phenomena: (I love the way they explain it) "How Special Relativity Makes Magnets Work" ▶ this video .

RecommendsView on HN
The Biggest Misconception About Electricity14:48

The Biggest Misconception About Electricity

Veritasium
28.2M views • 4 years ago
How Electricity Actually Works24:31

How Electricity Actually Works

Veritasium
12.8M views • 4 years ago
Richard Feynman Magnets7:33

Richard Feynman Magnets

nebulajr
999K views • 17 years ago
The Strangest Implication of Quantum Mechanics33:01

The Strangest Implication of Quantum Mechanics

Veritasium
20.6M views • 1 year ago
The Surprising Secret of Synchronization19:29

The Surprising Secret of Synchronization

Veritasium
27.9M views • 5 years ago
Feynman: Magnets  FUN TO IMAGINE  4  But see NEW UPDATED file at https://tinyurl.com/ycphc4327:33

Feynman: Magnets FUN TO IMAGINE 4 But see NEW UPDATED file at https://tinyurl.com/ycphc432

Christopher Sykes
1.6M views • 17 years ago
Why No One Has Measured The Speed Of Light19:05

Why No One Has Measured The Speed Of Light

Veritasium
24.3M views • 6 years ago
Feynman: Magnets (and Why?)  FUN TO IMAGINE  4/ higher quality version!7:35

Feynman: Magnets (and Why?) FUN TO IMAGINE 4/ higher quality version!

Christopher Sykes
359K views • 8 years ago
Richard Feynman: Magnets and Why Questions7:41

Richard Feynman: Magnets and Why Questions

RichardFeynmanLove
26K views • 16 years ago
Most People Don't Know How Bikes Work11:22

Most People Don't Know How Bikes Work

Veritasium
24.9M views • 4 years ago
Complete Solution To The Twins Paradox3:34

Complete Solution To The Twins Paradox

minutephysics
2.3M views • 10 years ago
Richard Feynman. Why.7:33

Richard Feynman. Why.

firewalker
5.5M views • 14 years ago
Why Parallel Universes Are Probably Real20:00

Why Parallel Universes Are Probably Real

Veritasium
25.4M views • 6 years ago
Quantum Entanglement & Spooky Action at a Distance9:16

Quantum Entanglement & Spooky Action at a Distance

Veritasium
4.5M views • 11 years ago
How Wrong Is VERITASIUM? A Lamp and Power Line Story19:17

How Wrong Is VERITASIUM? A Lamp and Power Line Story

ElectroBOOM
4.4M views • 4 years ago
What Everyone Gets Wrong About Gravity17:34

What Everyone Gets Wrong About Gravity

Veritasium
15.6M views • 6 years ago
The Original Double Slit Experiment7:40

The Original Double Slit Experiment

Veritasium
10.2M views • 13 years ago
The Geometry of Causality16:07

The Geometry of Causality

PBS Space Time
1.8M views • 9 years ago
The complete FUN TO IMAGINE with Richard Feynman1:06:50

The complete FUN TO IMAGINE with Richard Feynman

Christopher Sykes
5.9M views • 8 years ago
Superluminal Time Travel + Time Warp Challenge Answer11:48

Superluminal Time Travel + Time Warp Challenge Answer

PBS Space Time
1M views • 9 years ago