My question is quite simple I think. Is it true that we have approximately the same number of electrons as we have protons and the average electric charge of the molecules in our planet is roughly neutral?
We can see that the charges in the observable world are close to balance by considering what we would observe if they were not.
Big imbalances of charges cause strong electrical fields. Those are measurable and their effects are observable. We can create such imbalances locally (that's what a Van de Graaff generator does) and the effects are spectacular: really big sparks as the strong fields ionise air and cause big electrical discharges. These separations also occur in nature (that's what thunderstorms are). In both cases, the consequence of significant temporary separations of charge are spectacular natural phenomena that act to restore the balance.
It could be true, however, that the earth as a whole had a net charge. We wouldn't notice this while on the surface as the net charge would be relative to interplanetary space. On the other hand any such charge would probably be neutralised by selective interaction with the charged particles in the solar wind which we could observe. Also, if the net charge were substantial, we would observe significant effects on planetary orbits (the electrical field is a lot stronger than the gravitational field.
These observations together suggest that both locally and globally we have approximately the same number of protons as electrons on the earth.
Swali langu ni rahisi sana nadhani. Ni kweli kwamba tuna takriban idadi sawa ya elektroni na protoni na wastani wa malipo ya umeme ya molekuli katika sayari yetu ni karibu neutral? Tunaweza kuona kwamba malipo katika ulimwengu observable ni karibu na usawa kwa kuzingatia nini tungependa kuchunguza kama hawakuwa. Ukosefu mkubwa wa usawa wa mizigo husababisha mashamba yenye nguvu ya umeme. Hizi zinaweza kupimwa na athari zao zinaweza kuchunguzwa. "Kama vile tunavyoweza kuunda ""disbalance"" za aina hii ndani ya eneo (kwa mfano, jenereta ya Van de Graaff) na matokeo ni ya kuvutia: miali kubwa sana wakati uwanja mkubwa una ionize hewa na kusababisha discharges kubwa za umeme." Kutenganishwa huko hutokea pia katika asili (hiyo ndiyo dhoruba za radi). Katika visa vyote viwili, matokeo ya kutenganishwa kwa muda kwa malipo ni matukio ya asili yenye kuvutia ambayo hufanya kazi ili kurudisha usawa. Hata hivyo, huenda ikawa kweli kwamba dunia nzima ilikuwa na nishati ya nishati. Hatungetambua hili wakati juu ya uso kama malipo ya jumla ingekuwa jamaa na nafasi ya kati ya sayari. Kwa upande mwingine, malipo yoyote kama hayo yanaweza kuondolewa kwa mwingiliano wa kuchagua na chembe zilizochukuliwa katika upepo wa jua ambao tunaweza kuchunguza. Pia, kama malipo ya jumla yalikuwa makubwa, tungekuwa kuchunguza athari kubwa juu ya mizunguko ya sayari (shamba la umeme ni nguvu sana kuliko uwanja wa mvuto). Kwa pamoja, uchunguzi huu unaonyesha kwamba, katika eneo letu na duniani kote, tuna idadi sawa ya protoni na elektroni duniani.