Fluidic Electrodynamics: On parallels between electromagnetic and fluidic inertia

Abstract

The purpose of the present work is to trace parallels between the known inertia forces in fluid dynamics with the inertia forces in electromagnetism that are known to induce resistance forces on masses both due to acceleration and at constant velocity. It is shown that the force exerted on a particle by an ideal fluid produces two effects: i) resistance to acceleration and, ii) an increase of mass with velocity. These resistance forces arise due to the fluid dragged by the particle, where the bare mass of the particle at rest changes when in motion ("dressed" particle). It is demonstrated that the vector potential created by a charged particle in motion acts as an ideal space flow that surrounds the particle. The interaction between the particle and the entrained space flow gives rise to the observed properties of inertia and the relativistic increase of mass. Parallels are made between the inertia property of matter, electromagnetism and the hydrodynamic drag in potential flow. Accordingly, in this framework the non resistance of a particle in uniform motion through an ideal fluid (D'Alembert's paradox) corresponds to Newton's first law. The law of inertia suggests that the physical vacuum can be modeled as an ideal fluid, agreeing with the space-time ideal fluid approach from general relativity.