- 9,864
- 4,896
This "infinite Sink" concept i think comes from thermodynamics where there is an infinite heat sink.
There is no infinite "charge sink" that i know of.
In your earth-moon-lightbulb experiment try this thought: (EDIT - oops i forgot yur battery. Kindly reconsider the experiment with no battery)
Earth and moon have some finite area facing one another and are separated by what, 240,000 miles of free space?
So they have capacitance of [free space permittivity X that area / 240,000 miles X some weird units converter constant] farads. Your light would illuminate until that capacitance is discharged.
How it got charged to begin with is a mystery to me. Some geologists think the moon was once the floor of Pacific Ocean, maybe it took some charge with it when it left. Do you suppose a few electrons came back with Apollo astronauts ? (EDIT - maybe it was you left it at 50 volts ! That's a he-man toy you got there, dude !)
Kirchoff's current law says basically charge gets back to where it came from.
In the case of static electricity Kirchoff will accept a temporary delay.
This is exemplified by lightning. Charge is swept upward from Earth but comes back with a bang.
Consider the parallel with water - it evaporates from oceans rains on the hilltops and runs back into ocean. (Just watch the pretty Weather Channel ladies showing satellite pics of clouds sweeping up from Gulf of Mexico across Tennessee Valley and on up to New York) .
Basically Earth is just another wire. But it goes everywhere on the planet. And like any other wire there'll be some voltage drop wherever current flows along it.
I think we are imprinted early in life by lightning to think of Earth as somehow attracting electricity. Some folks won't even set a car battery on the ground.
hope this helps.
old jim
There is no infinite "charge sink" that i know of.
In your earth-moon-lightbulb experiment try this thought: (EDIT - oops i forgot yur battery. Kindly reconsider the experiment with no battery)
Earth and moon have some finite area facing one another and are separated by what, 240,000 miles of free space?
So they have capacitance of [free space permittivity X that area / 240,000 miles X some weird units converter constant] farads. Your light would illuminate until that capacitance is discharged.
How it got charged to begin with is a mystery to me. Some geologists think the moon was once the floor of Pacific Ocean, maybe it took some charge with it when it left. Do you suppose a few electrons came back with Apollo astronauts ? (EDIT - maybe it was you left it at 50 volts ! That's a he-man toy you got there, dude !)
Kirchoff's current law says basically charge gets back to where it came from.
In the case of static electricity Kirchoff will accept a temporary delay.
This is exemplified by lightning. Charge is swept upward from Earth but comes back with a bang.
Consider the parallel with water - it evaporates from oceans rains on the hilltops and runs back into ocean. (Just watch the pretty Weather Channel ladies showing satellite pics of clouds sweeping up from Gulf of Mexico across Tennessee Valley and on up to New York) .
Basically Earth is just another wire. But it goes everywhere on the planet. And like any other wire there'll be some voltage drop wherever current flows along it.
I think we are imprinted early in life by lightning to think of Earth as somehow attracting electricity. Some folks won't even set a car battery on the ground.
hope this helps.
old jim
Last edited: