Why did we decide one side of a magnet or proton was a “positive charge” and the otherside of a magnet or all electrons were “negative” charges?

Question

Would it matter if we all just decided one day to switch them and say all protons were negative and electrons were positive?

In: Physics

Answer 1

This doesn’t apply to magnets. They have magnetic poles, not positive and negative charges.

But as for electric things: the decision was arbitrary and was based on a guess. Many people today think it would have been clearer to do it the opposite way.