Chapter 22: Electrostatics
The charge that an object carries is as fundamental as the mass of that object. It may, in fact, be more fundamental. Although Albert Einstein predicted, and experiment later confirmed, that mass can be converted into energy and thus is not strictly conserved, physicists have never observed an event that did not conserve charge. The theory that predicts electrostatic (and electrodynamic) interactions is one of the most accurate and successful theories ever developed. Although it seems that charge may appear and disappear in everyday experiments, what you are actually observing is only the rearranging of existing charges. Whenever charge appears on an object, another object picks up an equal charge of the opposite sign. Whenever charge disappears, you are recombining charges of opposite sign.
Table of Contents
Illustrations
- Illustration 22.1: Charge and Coulomb's Law.
- Illustration 22.2: Charge and Mass.
- Illustration 22.3: Monopole, Dipole, and Quadrupole.
- Illustration 22.4: Charging Objects and Static Cling.
Explorations
- Exploration 22.1: Equilibrium.
- Exploration 22.2: Explore the Effect of Multiple Charges.
- Exploration 22.3: Electrostatic Ranking Task.
- Exploration 22.4: Dipole Symmetry.
- Exploration 22.5: Pendulum Electroscope.
- Exploration 22.6: Run Coulomb's Gauntlet.
Problems
- Problem 22.1: Like and unlike charges.
- Problem 22.2: Positive and negative.
- Problem 22.3: Net charge.
- Problem 22.4: Two hidden charges.
- Problem 22.5: Three hidden charges.
- Problem 22.6: "Tug of war."
- Problem 22.7: Charge, inertia, and trajectories.
- Problem 22.8: Circular motion and charged objects.
- Problem 22.9: Discharge.
- Problem 22.10: Electroscope.
- Problem 22.11: Coulomb force and spring force.
- Problem 22.12: Charge on a tabletop.
