Changing the Inertial Mass of a Charged Particle

Abstract

We calculate utilizing Weber's law the force on a moving charge exerted by a stationary charged spherical shell surrounding it. We obtain a net force different from zero which is proportional to the acceleration of the test particle relative to the spherical shell. This result can be interpreted by saying that the inertial mass of a test particle should change if it is placed inside a charged spherical shell. We conclude that this modification in the inertial mass is proportional to the electrostatic potential of the charged spherical shell and to the electric charge of the test particle. Then we present some possible experiments which could be performed to test this prediction.