How can you weigh an electron?

[Shanti]

Where did you get this data???
It means that my head is at almost 200V higher potential than my feet are?
That would be something... A FE for anyone.

This is common knowledge. You can easily verify this on the net...E.g. one of the first results is:
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/index/lightning-faq/2
The earth is like one huge side of a sphere cap, and the ionosphere the other side. the air in betwenn is the insulator...
And there is quite a huge potential difference between these two...
And near the surface. where we are the field strength is about 100V/m. This value can change quite strongly during some weather conditions (storms). Until they reach even at the surface such high values that you can observe so called St. Elms Fires...
But this happens very very rarely...

I think what many people here do not understand is the fact, the just having a static E-field does not mean this is FE. E.g. take an electret. You can have quite a strong static E-Field from an electret. But you will only be able to one time get energy out of if. Namely until you neutralized the electret E-Field with the E-Field that will be developed due to the current flowing. And as soon as they equalize each other, you couldn't get any energy out of it anymore. And to "reset" your electret again, you would have to invest just as much energy again.
Only the fluctuations in the E-field you could use to produce energy.
On the other hand, the cap you would use to get this energy would have such a low capacity  that the energy you would get would be extremely extremely small. So you see, nothing of practical usage...
The energy you could get from receiving EM-Waves (from radio, tv, mobiles...) would be much bigger, but it is forbidden to use them as a power source...(and btw. their energy is still quite small, unless you're located quite near a powerful antenna)

[nueview]

shanti there are so many things that you have said in last quote that are correct and so many that are wrong. electrostatic fields are easily built the need for building electrets is small the amount of power derived from such fields can be immence as solar panels don't do much of a panel but over time can accumulate a vast amount even as nature does methane is perhaps natures best example the total amount is stagering and much more likely to yeild power as few have been able to derrive usable power from electrostatic e-fields figure this reason out and GE would make you wealthy beyond your dreams tomorrow.
this is the problem in a nutshell. so how do you solve it?

[Alien509]

Hey, Spinner,

Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

Oh, sorry, the electrometer can't measure the displacement of electrons.  There is an electric field in the metal, sort of, caused by gravity.  But, the test wires of the electrometer have exactly the same field so it is unable to measure any potential difference.

How many electrons are free to move in the iron bar?- -  I am thinking from memory, some years back.  My recollection is that half of the conduction band in a metal like iron is above the Fermi level.  That means that exactly half of the "valence electrons" are free to move.  I'm pretty sure there are two electrons per atom, so that means one free electron per atom.  Or 6.02 * 10^23 electrons in 56 grams of iron are free to move.

But the displacement amounts to only a couple of electrons.  Somebody could calculate that.

Ernie Rogers

A volt meter will measure displacement, however it won't measure relativity. We calibrate volt meters to work in the relative area we are in. For example 10 million atoms at 1 mv would have a different effect on the reading of displacement when work is done in that frame than in another environment where 10 million atoms are at 100MV. I don't know if it is possible to measure the displacement of the universe with any accuracy to determine the weight of the electron with any accuracy. The nature of the electron is to transmute energy and I think that it's form represents an infinite ability to transmit infinite amounts of potential energy. The problem with the idea is that the number of permutations of any atom are infinite. This is why any octave of sound is possible in varying lengths of materials- light possesses every wavelength of energy etc etc etc.

[CARN0T]

Hello, Shanti,

The terrestrial electric field is pumped up by lightning storms around the earth.  So far, nobody has figured out how to tap the trillions of watts available there.  This is an electric field, so it can be shielded out by putting the experiment inside a conducting container.

The field effect we are talking about here is gravitational and cannot be shielded.  This also means that the effect can only be detected by changing the system.  For example, if the metal rod is turned from vertical to horizontal, or upside down, the charge will shift and in principle a current can be detected.

Ernie Rogers

You forgot, that e.g. on the earth the thing which would really render your experiment useless is the natural electric field gradient of the earth which is in the range of 100V/m! (Field gradient from the earth surface to the ionosphere...)
But hey, perhaps the field gradient is just the result of this effect???

[Shanti]

Nueview:

electrostatic fields are easily built the need for building electrets is small the amount of power derived from such fields can be immence as solar panels don't do much of a panel but over time can accumulate a vast amount

Actually, I have quite my problems, in understanding what you wanted to say. I still hold 100% to what I said!
E.g. if you take a solar panel. The power you get out of it doesn't come from the electric field in the panel, but from the radiations from the sun. The E-Field inside the panel is just used to convert it to electricity. And you will also need as much energy to generate an E-Field as you can get out of it again.
The trick I see, as with the solar panel is, that with the help of the field, you can get energy out of other things (e.g. radiations...)

CARN0T:

This is an electric field, so it can be shielded out by putting the experiment inside a conducting container.

Sure, you could shield it with the help of a faraday-cage. Funny thing that I missed that one...