Electrostatics

Electorstatics deals with the behavior of stationary electric charges. There are two kind of electric charges: positive and negative. Like charges repel each other and unlike charges attract each other.

All experiments so far have shown that electric charge in nature comes in units of one magnitude only. This magnitude is denoted by e and is called the electronic charge. All charges in nature occur in integral multiples of this basic unit i.e., q = ne where n is either a positive or negative integer. Thus we say that charge exists in discrete packets rther than in continuous amounts. The charge is, therefore, qunatised.

The law of conservation of electric charge states that the algebraic sum of the electric charges remains constant in a closed system. This implies that charge can neither be created nor destroyed.

All charged bodies of dimensions small in comparison with the distance between them are referred to as point charges.

So far as their electrostatic behavior is concerned, materials are divided into two categories: conductors of electricity and insulators. Bodies which allow the charge or electricity to pass through them are called conductors, e.g., maetal, human body, earth, graphite, charcoal etc. Bodies which do not allow the charge or electricity to pass through them are called insulators, e.g., glass, mica ebonite, plastics etc.

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