Will the Earth continue to be electrically earth forever?

[frc]

Thunders go to earth, all buildings' electricity are connected to earth, etc...

Theoritically when will Earth's electrical potential increases so that it is not electrically earth anymore??

 

[betwixt]

Yes, a time will come when it is no longer safe to stand on the ground and we will all have to wear insulated underwear. As charges tend to concentrate on pointed areas, we will all have to keep our hands in our pockets and hold our knees together. Heaven forbid you ever have to sneeze, the plasma would cut through steel.

Brian.

 

[tinkerer73]

Yes, a time will come when it is no longer safe to stand on the ground and we will all have to wear insulated underwear. As charges tend to concentrate on pointed areas, we will all have to keep our hands in our pockets and hold our knees together. Heaven forbid you ever have to sneeze, the plasma would cut through steel.

Brian.

LOL



Read up on lightning. It happens when the charges become more imbalanced. By your theory of it eventually evening out, we would be having less and less lightning over the years because charges between earth and sky would become more and more balanced. However, it's always in a state of flux.

 

[Audioguru]

All lightning and thunder does NOT go to earth. Frequently lightning jumps from one cloud to another cloud without going to earth.
Also, frequently lightning jumps from earth to a cloud.

 

[BradtheRad]

No one knows why it worked out that way, but it just happens that our Earth is neutral, neither positive nor negative.

How do we know? Electroscopes prove it.

Will it always be that way? What if the earth acquired a net charge? Would it attract particles from outer space which have the opposite charge, to maintain the balance? A tough question to answer.

 

[frc]

What about the idea that Earth's magnetic field decharges it?

 

[betwixt]

I have a different theory: gravity is really an electrostatic charge. When I get up in the morning I have an opposite charge to the Earth so it always feels like I should be going back to bed again (attraction) but as the Earth rotates during the day the charge reverses and by evening it feels like I don't want to go to bed (repulsion). It also explains why I run for cover in a thunderstorm (all charged up) and try to stay indoors when it rains (discharged). I intend to test the theory by running around the World backwards. I'll set off in the morning and return in the evening, if I'm tired and want to go to bed it will prove the charge is created by the Earths field because it will be reversed.

Brian.

 

[chuckey]

" I don't want to go to bed (repulsion) ", I find that if I imbibe a quantity of alcohol, I start being attracted to earth. If I have enough, I find I can't over come the attraction of the earth so I tend to stay on the floor until the next morning.
Frank

 

[andre_luis]

Theoritically when will Earth's electrical potential increases so that it is not electrically earth anymore??

At first time I went looking for this thread, I confess that found the theme a bit trivial, but after some thought, could not accurately determine a confident explanation to the question.

I believe the answer may be related to the Earth's magnetic field, which in principle would tend to move free electrons, which at some point would be interacting with the elements, turning into radiant energy.

just a guess.




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[betwixt]

The real answer is it will always be 'zero' as far as we are concerned. It is the reference against which we take other measurments. If the charge on the whole planet changes we would never be aware of it and in any case it would have to be measured against another celestial body.

Brian.

 

[BradtheRad]

If the Earth were to acquire a net charge, electroscope leaves would start to repel one another, at some point.

 

[andre_luis]

The real answer is it will always be 'zero' as far as we are concerned. It is the reference against which we take other measurments

Actually, the subject is merely rated to theory scope, without any practical implication. The purpose of the reply was just for instigate a substantiated explanation for Earth´s electric ground charge do not increase indefinitely, as he supposed.

In fact, taking the point of view of potential voltage, as you mentioned, don´t matter how much free electrons are available on Earth body, for convention the reference ground is assumed always having no residual potential voltage, due it´s an absolute reference.





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[Darktrax]

Thunders go to earth, all buildings' electricity are connected to earth, etc...

Theoritically when will Earth's electrical potential increases so that it is not electrically earth anymore??

Earth will not "change potential". You have to ask "relative to what"?

Every thunder, lightning, or other discharge is just the settling of scores as electrons that were dragged from earth by various Sun-driven energy processes find their way back. The potential achieved was relative to earth.

Nor does it matter the charge is positive or negative. This just lets you know whether the charged object has been deprived of electrons, or gained an excess of electrons.

 

[betwixt]

I wonder if Martians have to 'Mars' their equipment.

Brian

 

[Audioguru]

I wonder if Martians have to 'Mars' their equipment.

Brian

Hee, hee. I was going to post a photo of 'Mooning' but it is not appropriate here.

 

[andre_luis]

Just to be a bit provocative:

"the surface charge can get as big as 4,500 volts"

https://www.nature.com/news/2007/070129/full/news070129-16.html

:wink:

 

[betwixt]

I did consider Uranus but the wording of connecting something to Uranus didn't sound very polite.

Brian.

 

[jpanhalt]

The absence of an atmosphere and liquid water are probably relevant to the formation of a static charge.

John