How many digits can a meter have?

[Dr. Frank]

Charge need not be quantized, because ..


The sources of charges -- the particles -- are necessarily, however.  (Note that, strictly speaking, the most elementary charge is 1/3 its customary value, because electrically charged quarks are considered to have such fractional charges.  This would make the electron charge 3e' (e' = e/3), but such a distinction is hardly worthwhile, so it hasn't been implemented.)

Tim

Charge may be continuosin theory , only. But all Physics rules and laws mandatory require experimental evidence. 

And this experimental evidence is one of the mysteries of physics, that charge in fact IS quantized.

This would be explained easily if magnetic monopoles would exist, that means, if we could detect these experimentally.
(To introduce them in the Maxwells Equations is as easy as theoretically assuming that charge is not quantized)

With magnetic monopoles, this charge quantization would quite naturally follow.

In (far) future Dark Matter and Dark Energy may be experimentally detected or explained, and then maybe also the existance of magnetic monopoles be postulated.


Again, there is no fractional e ... in free particles:

These Quarks, carrying -1/3e or +2/3e ALWAYS are bound inseparable together, so that always the discrete character of e is obeyed.
All these high energy particles have absolutely no relevance for our practical, solid state world.

Frank