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Originally Posted by renormalised
I know that.
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No offense intended good buddy, but from your earlier reply to me it appeared as if you didn't know that.
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Yes, true. But it's the loss of those electrons from the atoms on the surface of the dust grains which creates the charge and the field.
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My italics.
In particle physics (and elsewhere), electrons are generally accepted to be point sources to all intents and purposes, and the same can almost be said about the far more massive atomic nuclei, so in effect there is no surface to an atom.
And, as far as colliding particles are concerned, there
is no grain of dust: The atom it interacts with can comprise
any part of that mote, be it on the surface or right smack in the middle.
Once you are in the realm of the atomic and the sub-atomic, human world dimensions are no longer meaningful and should be ignored.
Like I said, no offense intended. It's just sometimes you
can learn sumpin' new, even from old guys like me!
