ELECTROSTATICS

Explore the fundamentals of electric charges at rest, their interactions, and the forces they exert on each other through Coulomb’s Law and electric fields.

Start Lesson

ELECTROSTATICS

Explore the fundamentals of electric charges at rest, their interactions, and the forces they exert on each other through Coulomb’s Law and electric fields.

Start Lesson

What is Electrostatic?

Electrostatics is the branch of physics that deals with electric charges at rest. In other words, it’s the study of static electricity – how charges build up on objects and create forces when they don’t move. Britannica defines it as the study of electromagnetic phenomena when there are no moving charges (i.e. after a static equilibrium is reached). In everyday terms, electrostatics explains why, for example, your hair stands up after you rub a balloon on your head or why dust sticks to a TV screen in a dry room.

The Heart of Electrostatics

electric charges exert forces on each other according to Coulomb’s law. Like charges repel and opposite charges attract, with a force whose magnitude falls off as the inverse square of distance . This force can be thought of as mediated by an electric field: a charge creates a field around itself that pushes or pulls other charges. We often draw electric field lines to visualize this – lines start on positive charges and end on negative charges, and the density of lines shows field strength . For example, a lone positive charge has field lines radiating outward symmetrically in all directions, pushing away another positive charge. In a nutshell, electrostatics focuses on how stationary charges (and fields they create) interact via Coulomb’s law.

ETYMOLOGY OF ELECTROSTATICS

To understand the meaning of electrostatics, it is helpful to break down the term into its components:
Electrostatics
comes from the Greek word ēlektron, meaning “amber.” This refers to electric charge or electricity, as the rubbing of amber was one of the earliest known sources of static electric phenomena.
Electro
derived from the Greek word statikos, meaning “causing to stand” or “stationary.” In physics, it signifies a state in which charges are not in motion.
statics
To understand the meaning of electrostatics, it is helpful to break down the term into its components:
Electrostatics
comes from the Greek word ēlektron, meaning “amber.” This refers to electric charge or electricity, as the rubbing of amber was one of the earliest known sources of static electric phenomena.
Electro
derived from the Greek word statikos, meaning “causing to stand” or “stationary.” In physics, it signifies a state in which charges are not in motion.
statics
To understand the meaning of electrostatics, it is helpful to break down the term into its components:
Electrostatics
comes from the Greek word ēlektron, meaning “amber.” This refers to electric charge or electricity, as the rubbing of amber was one of the earliest known sources of static electric phenomena.
Electro
derived from the Greek word statikos, meaning “causing to stand” or “stationary.” In physics, it signifies a state in which charges are not in motion.
statics
To understand the meaning of electrostatics, it is helpful to break down the term into its components:
Electrostatics
comes from the Greek word ēlektron, meaning “amber.” This refers to electric charge or electricity, as the rubbing of amber was one of the earliest known sources of static electric phenomena.
Electro
derived from the Greek word statikos, meaning “causing to stand” or “stationary.” In physics, it signifies a state in which charges are not in motion.
statics

To understand the meaning of electrostatics, it is helpful to break down the term into its components:
Electrostatics
comes from the Greek word ēlektron, meaning “amber.” This refers to electric charge or electricity, as the rubbing of amber was one of the earliest known sources of static electric phenomena.
Electro
derived from the Greek word statikos, meaning “causing to stand” or “stationary.” In physics, it signifies a state in which charges are not in motion.
statics
To understand the meaning of electrostatics, it is helpful to break down the term into its components:
Electrostatics
comes from the Greek word ēlektron, meaning “amber.” This refers to electric charge or electricity, as the rubbing of amber was one of the earliest known sources of static electric phenomena.
Electro
derived from the Greek word statikos, meaning “causing to stand” or “stationary.” In physics, it signifies a state in which charges are not in motion.
statics
To understand the meaning of electrostatics, it is helpful to break down the term into its components:
Electrostatics
comes from the Greek word ēlektron, meaning “amber.” This refers to electric charge or electricity, as the rubbing of amber was one of the earliest known sources of static electric phenomena.
Electro
derived from the Greek word statikos, meaning “causing to stand” or “stationary.” In physics, it signifies a state in which charges are not in motion.
statics
To understand the meaning of electrostatics, it is helpful to break down the term into its components:
Electrostatics
comes from the Greek word ēlektron, meaning “amber.” This refers to electric charge or electricity, as the rubbing of amber was one of the earliest known sources of static electric phenomena.
Electro
derived from the Greek word statikos, meaning “causing to stand” or “stationary.” In physics, it signifies a state in which charges are not in motion.
statics

LESSON 2

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Gauss Law and Electric Flux

LESSON 3

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Capacitors and Capacitance

LESSON 4

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Dielectrics

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LESSON 2

START LESSON

Gauss Law and Electric Flux

LESSON 2

START LESSON

Gauss Law and Electric Flux

LESSON 2

START LESSON

Gauss Law and Electric Flux

LESSON 3

START LESSON

Capacitors and Capacitance

LESSON 3

START LESSON

Capacitors and Capacitance

LESSON 3

START LESSON

Capacitors and Capacitance

LESSON 4

START LESSON

Dielectrics

LESSON 4

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Dielectrics

LESSON 4

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