Contemplation of the positive and the negative

Charge comes in two varieties, which we call “positive” and “negative”.

The reason we called it as “positive” and “negative” because their effect tends to cancel each other naturally. Initially there were no charges on the glass or ebonite. When we rubbed the glass with silk and ebonite with fur they get charged. And if you again touch the positive glass rod with the negative ebonite rod [Note that “positive” and “negative” is chosen by the humans and not by the nature], they cancel their effects and comes to neutral which is the initial condition. So, the fact is that positive and negative charges occur in exactly equal amounts in all matter, so that their effects are almost completely neutralized.

What if the two kinds of charge did not tend to cancel?

Were it not for this, we would be subjected to enormous electric shocks from all of the objects in Nature.    

Thus we assumed that the electric charges are there already in these objects (glass, ebonite, silk, fur, etc).

It shows their properties [effects] while rubbing with other objects.

Question and think:

Why did we choose the charge on the glass as “positive” and the charge on the ebonite as “negative”?

What will happen if I chose the charge on the glass as “negative” and the charge on the ebonite as “positive”?

Maybe in some other alien planet, people have been calling the charge on the glass is “negative” when rubbed with silk and ebonite is “positive” when rubbed with fur. 

Maybe they will be studying that “the protons in the nucleus of an atom have “negative” charge and the electrons surrounding the nucleus have “positive” charge.

But it will not make any problems in their physics. Physics holds true in every place in this universe.

No matter whether protons have positive charge or negative charge, it doesn’t cause any problem with physics. The most important thing is that protons should have the opposite charge of the electrons because these things are just the matter of sign. Signs are the matter of our choice. Nature doesn’t have any positive or negative. It has only the effect of “opposite”.

If you chose one as “positive” then the other is “negative” or if you chose one as “negative” then the other should be “positive” [It is what the effect of “opposite”].

It is important to be aware of this sign confusion because the same “positive” and the “negative” confusion will come, when you are studying about the direction of the

conventional current.  

Statement:

We observed,

 “Negative” ebonite rod repels another “Negative” ebonite rod.

            “Negative” ebonite rod repels the charge on the “amber” that is rubbed with fur.

So we said the charge on the “amber” is “negative” when rubbed with fur. Thus we choose “positive” and “negative”.

But why it should be like that?

Think:

            This may seem too obvious to the opposite comment of the statement of choosing “positive” and “negative”, but I want to contemplate other possibilities also.

What if there were 8 or 10 or infinite different species of charge?

                         

Instead of the above statement, we can also think it in another way,

Say the charge on the ebonite as “charge A” and the charge on the amber as “charge B”

and the statement of “positive” and “negative” changes to,

“Charge A” repels “charge A” and

“Charge A” repels “charge B”.

But now we don’t know whether the “charge A” and “charge B” is same. It can also be different type of charges.

So,

Why it should be only the positive and the negative electric charge? 

   

There are also the possibilities of 8 or 10 or 100 or 1000 or infinite types of different charges like charge A, charge B, charge C, charge D, charge α, charge β, charge 1, charge 2, charge 100, charge 1000, etc. 

         

Think about it.