Does anyone know the volume charge density (C/m^3) on the earth surface? I can't seems to find it. The only thing I can find is C/m^2, which is ~1nC/m^2, but that doesn't tell me how many *extra* electrons per cubic meter in say an object on earths surface. Even a rough estimate would be great.

 

Thanks. I appreciate any help.

According to

https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Natural_electric_field_of_the_Earth

 

'The Earth is negatively charged, carrying 500,000 Coulombs ( C) of electric charge (500 kC) and is at 300,000 volts (V), 300 kV relative to the positively charged ionosphere'

How would one calculate the charge density from that? I'd assume the surface charge thickness would be something we could calculate, no? Unless the extra electrons per volume is so low that they don't pile.

Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material.

Is likely to be the reason volume density is not given.

Edited March 12, 20169 yr by EdEarl

So is it safe to say I can remove all of such surface charge from my experiment by attaching a thin copper wire that goes up to a metal ceiling plate?

So is it safe to say I can remove all of such surface charge from my experiment by attaching a thin copper wire that goes up to a metal ceiling plate?

I'm not qualified to answer that question. To avoid static electricity problems, usually devices are grounded to a metal bar driven into the ground about six feet.