If Atoms Were Not Neutral . Because the charges on the electron and proton have the same absolute value, atoms are electrically neutral. Suppose this were not precisely true, and the absolute value of the charge of the electron were less than the charge of the proton by 0.00100%.
(a) Estimate what the net charge of this textbook would be under these circumstances. Make any assumptions you feel are justified. But state clearly what they are. (Hint: Most of the atoms in this textbook have equal numbers of electrons, protons, and neutrons.)
(b) What would be the magnitude of the electric force between two textbooks placed 5.0 m apart? Would this force be attractive or repulsive? Estimate what the acceleration of each book would be if the books were 5.0 m apart and there were no non electrical forces on them.
(c) Discuss how the fact that ordinary matter is stable shows that the absolute values of the charges on the electron and proton must be identical to a very high level of accuracy.