Work out to explain the force of attraction between earth and moon is not electrostatic?

Answer 1

There is no net electronic charge between the earth and the moon. There is no medium between the moon and earth with which to allow charge accumulation from one body to the other. Lightning and clouds accumulate electrons and then realease them through a lightning discharge. The air allows the movement and conduction of electrons from the earth surface to the clouds, or cloud-to-cloud charge accumulation. Electrons in the air are used in this process. The vacuum of space (electronless) and a 250,000 mile long "reistor" would be too great to allow a charge to be set up between the moon and earth. The earth-moon connection is currently explained as "gravity" and has nothing to do with an electric field due to surplus electrons on one body versus the other body.

For an E (electrostatic) field to exist between two bodies, there must be a net negative charge on one body and a lack of electrons (positive charge) on the other body. This simply is not the case with the earth and moon.

Answer 2

From studying the orbits of the earth and moon we know that both the earth and moon are attracted to the sun. If the forces causing the orbits were electrostatic this would imply that the sign of the charge of the moon and earth were the same and that the sun had the opposite charge. But if the moon is also attracted to the earth, it would have to have a charge of the opposite sign.

Also, we know that the moon and earth fall towards the sun at the same rate when they are the same distance away. This would only be possible if the charges of the earth and moon were proportional to their masses. With gravity, the m in the equation F=(K_g)mM/r^2 - (gravitaional mass) - is equal to the m in the equation F=ma (inertial mass) so this "proportionality" is automatic.

Compare with F=(K_e)qQ/r^2