Question

The earth has a vertical electric field at the surface, pointing down, that averages 119 N/C . This field is maintained by various atmospheric processes, including lightning. What is the excess charge on the surface of the earth

Answer 1

Answer:

$q=5.37*10^{5}C$

Explanation:

If we assume that the Earth is a spherical conductor, according to  Gauss's Law, the electric field is given by:

$E=\frac{kq}{r^2}$

Here k is the Coulomb constant, the excess charge on the Earth's surface and r its radius. Solving for q:

$q=\frac{Er^2}{k}\\q=\frac{119\frac{N}{C}(6.371*10^6m)^2}{8.99\frac{N\cdot m^2}{C^2}}\\q=5.37*10^{5}C$