Continue to Site

Welcome to our site!

Electro Tech is an online community (with over 170,000 members) who enjoy talking about and building electronic circuits, projects and gadgets. To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.

  • Welcome to our site! Electro Tech is an online community (with over 170,000 members) who enjoy talking about and building electronic circuits, projects and gadgets. To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.

static electricty theory question

Status
Not open for further replies.

Mark S.

New Member
I hope I can make this question clear to understand. Here goes.

Atoms in their balanced state have the same number of electrons and protons.
Static Electricity is produced when two objects rub against each other and electrons are dislodged from one object and gather onto the other object. The small shock we feel from static electricity is when electrons flow to regain a balanced state for the atoms.

If I had two large objects and through whatever means I made one object have a huge excess of electrons and the other a huge deficiency of electrons. If I buried the object with the excess electrons in the ground in an insulated box. How can the other object ever gain a balanced state. I know it can gain electrons from other objects but then that other object would not be in a balanced state.

I know its a very random question, but one i would like to have an answer to.

If any of you good people try to provide an answer please keep it simple as i dont have a strong scientific background.

Thanks Mark S.
 
Mark S.

I think you assume that all subatomic particles such as electrons must come from atoms. There are lots of free subatomic particles available. A good example is the solar wind from the sun. Another is the decomposition of radioactive elements, which cause the emission of subatomic particles. If you energize a large capacitor, one plate will have a huge excess of electrons, and the other plate a huge deficiency. The total net charge will be zero. This unbalanced state will hold forever, unless there is a leakage between the plates. If you can totally isolate a bunch of electrons somewhere, they will have no place to go, and will remain in that state forever. If they have physical contact with a material such as air, they will disperse and dissipate until they find an opposite charge somewhere and neutralize.

Ratch
 
The earth is also a large sink/source of electrons. The small amount of imbalance in the earth's charge by even a highly charge reasonably sized object is negligible compared to the earths charge. Thus your hypothetical positively charged object would just gain the electrons needed to balance it's electron deficit from the earth with no discernible change in the total earth's charge. (There is a slight change of course, but it would not be measurable.)
 
Thus your hypothetical positively charged object would just gain the electrons needed to balance it's electron deficit from the earth with no discernible change in the total earth's charge. (There is a slight change of course, but it would not be measurable.)

And how would you measure the charge anyhow? What is the earth reference against which you could measure the planet earth's static voltage?

You're all correct in saying that earth is effectively an infinite source or sink of current. I was just amused at the concept of measuring its charge.
 
And how would you measure the charge anyhow? What is the earth reference against which you could measure the planet earth's static voltage?

You're all correct in saying that earth is effectively an infinite source or sink of current. I was just amused at the concept of measuring its charge.



I suppose it's much like tossing an apple up into the air moves the earth in the opposite direction an immeasurable amount. Or does it only the apple move up? Or does only the earth move up? How are you supposed to measure what moves where without an absolute reference? Use a third point of reference like a star?

In that sense, all you'd do in this case is just measure the potential of the earth with respect to any old object/point that is isolated from the earth's surface. So a hunk of metal just sitting on a plastic table is good enough.
 
Last edited:
And how would you measure the charge anyhow? What is the earth reference against which you could measure the planet earth's static voltage?
You need a reference to measure the voltage, but not the electric field due to any charge on the earth, which is determined by the relative amount of electrons and protons. The amount of charge can be measured by the magnitude of the electric field to space.

According to this the earth has a net negative charge which is roughly balanced by the positive charge of the atmosphere.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest threads

New Articles From Microcontroller Tips

Back
Top