Voltage of the Universe

[G7PSK]

I have just read in an article on dark magnetism in the New Scientist that the voltage of the universe is now 10 to the power of 27 volts or a billion billion gigavolts, now its just down to fluke to make a meter and someone to find the ground.

[deephaven]

Sounds like finding the ground would be a very bad idea 

[david77]

First they'd have to introduce a new CAT rating, surely?

[McMonster]

First they'd have to introduce a new CAT rating, surely?

Yes, the CAT MMMCDLXVII rating.

[ejeffrey]

Potential difference to what?

[bullet308]

Shorting the universe to ground is probably not something that you would do more than once...

[Bored@Work]

Ground would be hell? No, wait, are we talking real or technical polarity convention? Not that you mess up heaven and hell when connecting your Fluke.

[amspire]

I have just read in an article on dark magnetism in the New Scientist that the voltage of the universe is now 10 to the power of 27 volts or a billion billion gigavolts, now its just down to fluke to make a meter and someone to find the ground.

Are you talking about the average voltage of the universe, or the highest known voltage in the universe?

It sounds to me like they are talking about a neutron star which has lost a huge number of electrons in the supernova explosion that former it. They are not talking about anything in our solar system.

Unless they are taking about some kind of Dark Voltage caused by Dark Matter, in which case they are talking about something they do not know exists.

Richard.

[IanB]

How on earth they calculate this nonsense is beyond all understanding. How can you measure something of unknown dimensions? I think some people just like getting paid to appear clever.

It's called physics. Possibly misunderstood and poorly described by journalists (although New Scientist should be more trustworthy than most), but still physics.

I don't have access to the article, but how about the question of whether the universe is charge neutral? How should it be automatically assumed that there is an equal balance between positively charged particles and negatively charged particles in the universe? Regardless of anything else, that still seems like an interesting question.

[EEVblog]

I just read that the total average Newtonian gravitational energy of every object in the universe is precisely zero.
So perhaps that voltage must add up to precisely zero as well?, KVL still holds at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe?

Dave.

[amspire]

I just read that the total average Newtonian gravitational energy of every object in the universe is precisely zero.
So perhaps that voltage must add up to precisely zero as well?, KVL still holds at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe?

Dave.

My suspicion is the average charge in the Universe would be slightly negative - on the assumption that is was neutral at the beginning. I think Black holes consume a slightly positive net charge, and I don't think a black hole itself has a charge. I don't think that average voltage of the universe would be very high. Perhaps millivolts.

[amspire]

Has anyone actually read this New Scientist article? What I suspect they may be talking about is the strange force (Dark Energy/Dark Magnetism/Dark Matter) that is making galaxies accelerate away from each other rather then start to fall back towards each other.

They may be saying that is the equivalent of charging every galaxy in the Universe to a very high voltage, but it wouldn't be a real voltage. There is no way that the average known matter in the Universe is charged at at 10 to the 27th Volts.

To misquote Star Trek :  "It's Volts, Jim, but not as we know it."

Richard.

[MikeK]

The total charge would be zero, but how can you say the total voltage is non-zero?  It has to be relative to something.  New Scientist regularly prints weird stuff.

[amspire]

The total charge would be zero, but how can you say the total voltage is non-zero?  It has to be relative to something.  New Scientist regularly prints weird stuff.

I would have to pay to read the article, but they seem to be talking about explaining the expansion of the universe (or "ripping the Universe apart" as I think the dramatic writing expressed it) and connecting this to Dark forces.

When you are talking about the voltage of an object floating in space, you are probably talking about a charge applied to its body capacitance. That can be calculated with no other reference point. A human has a body capacitance of about 100pF, so if I wanted to charge myself to -10²⁷ volts absolute, I would need  a negative charge of 10²⁰ coulombs, which means if I had 1 amp constant current static generator source (at unlimited voltage), it would take me only 3000 billion years to full charge up.

Voltage is an absolute quantity, but in Electronics, it is more useful to measure voltage differences instead of absolute voltages.

Basically, the New Scientist article appears to be talking about effects that current physics cannot explain, and so they have to make up undetectable forces. I happen to know for sure that the body capacitances of both my chair and my backside are not charged at 10²⁷ volts, as if they were, then every time I tried to sit down, I would know it as I find myself propelled into outer space.

[PeteInTexas]

Basically, the New Scientist article appears to be talking about effects that current physics cannot explain, and so they have to make up undetectable forces.

We all know by now that there is a more elegant explanation, though admittedly, not fully satisfying, either. 

[free_electron]

I just read that the total average Newtonian gravitational energy of every object in the universe is precisely zero.
So perhaps that voltage must add up to precisely zero as well?, KVL still holds at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe?

Dave.

Nah, we all know it's nothing but a gib gnab..

If  you are interested , we're holding an international conference on time travel. It's happening at the marriot hotel in santa clara, date : last week friday...

[codeboy2k]

... KVL still holds at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe?

Dave.

one order of Kangaroo, Vegemite and Lettuce sandwich?

[AntiProtonBoy]

I believe this is the actual paper on the subject:

Jose Beltran Jimenez, Antonio L. Maroto - The Dark Magnetism of the Universe

The first sentence of the abstract hints what this is all about:

Despite the success of Maxwell's electromagnetism in the description of the electromagnetic interactions on small scales, we know very little about the behaviour of electromagnetic fields on cosmological distances. Thus, it has been suggested recently that the problems of dark energy and the origin of cosmic magnetic fields could be pointing to a modification of Maxwell's theory on large scales.