Electrostatics
Electrostatics is the branch of physics explaining phenomena arising due to the existence of electric charges, which do not move – they are static. What an electric charge is we will find out in the next lecture. We use the term lecture as this physics tutorial is like a classroom in which you learn step by step physics. It is a kind of “physics help” for a wide range of people interested in Science generally and physics particularly. There are numerous “machines” which were designed to “produce” static electricity as this electricity was the subject of studies at the beginning of the “electricity age”.
Electrostatics can explain numerous physical phenomena observed in every day life. Some of them are useful others can be unpleasant, harmful or even very dangerous. Because of very serious consequences connected with static electricity it is a subject of extensive studies, which are directed towards eliminating, controlling or – just the opposite – producing electric charges.
The greatest danger results from a build up of electric charges and exists in places where easily flammable materials are present. These are first and foremost gas stations. How these dangerous phenomena are created we will study later in detail.
There is a wide range of very useful applications of static electricity. One of the greatest achievements in this field are materials called electrets which have wide technical applications.
Interest in the electrostatic phenomena in science and every day life is not fading. It is worth mentioning that in the USA there exists the "The Electrostatics Society of America" which formally came into existence on August 17, 1970 and which gathers scientist involved in studying a wide range of electrostatic phenomena or, simply static electricity.
This physics tutorial is intended as help in physics and help in solving physics problems so we will stop this introduction at this point as further paragraphs will explain in detail phenomena mentioned here. There will be numerous exercises and problems with complete solutions, which should help to understand physics and electrostatic as a part of it.
As in the other parts of this “textbook” on physics, problems will be added continuously, and the level of difficulty will range from high school through college up to the university level.