When Einstein wrote his 1905 paper, he mentioned the observation where the magnet generates an electric field within itself when it is in motion relative to a “stationary” wire (where a current is created), yet when the magnet is “stationary” and the wire is in motion, there isn’t an electric field within the vicinity of the magnet. This seemed to raise questions, yet he didn’t seem to actually account for precisely why this occurs.
So, when either the magnet or wire is considered “stationary", does it mean relative to “stationary earth”, or the ECI frame? Or is the magnet and wire only considered at rest or in motion relative to each other? The principle of relativity would seem to suggest the last one.
What if the magnet and wire were in a vehicle that travels down the road at a constant velocity? The principle of relativity would suggest that the same conditions would exist.
When I asked ChatGPT the question involving the frame of the vehicle vs the frame of the earth, it agreed, and stated that the same conditions would exist either way. If this is so, it seems that this is how relative motion actually works,
For instance, on the “stationary” earth’s surface, the magnet could travel while the wire is “stationary”. However, if the vehicle travels very slowly, and at a constant velocity, that within the frame of the vehicle, the wire could go in the opposite direction while the magnet is “stationary” relative to earth’s surface.
So they could plan this out to where the opposite scenario would occur. That the magnet in motion could turn “stationary” (relative to the earth’s surface), and vice versa with the wire. Does anyone possibly know if scientists have created similar experiments which might have confirmed this?