27 April issue of Science opens this way:
A basic equation of electricity and magnetism is wrong, one scientist claims. The classic formula for the force exerted by electric and magnetic fields-the so-called Lorentz force-clashes with Einstein's special theory of relativity, says Masud Mansuripur, an electrical engineer at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Others doubt the claim but have not found a flaw in the simple argument that challenges century-old textbook physics. http://www.physicstoday.org/daily_edition/science_and_the_media/em_science_e m_magazine_news_report_textbook_electrodynamics_may_contradict_relativity Stephen Barnett, a theorist at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK, says, "If it's true, it's astonishing"-though he suspects there's a "subtle" explanation not at odds with relativity. But Rodney Loudon, a retired theorist from the University of Essex, UK, says, "As far as I can tell, [the analysis] is right." -Mark
