Chapter 26 - ELECTRIC CHARGE

Abstract

Publisher Summary The modern view of electric charge is that it is a basic property of atoms. Electrical forces play a dominant role in the structure of atoms and molecules and an important role in the structure of nuclei. Unlike mechanical phenomena, electrical phenomena are often beyond the direct perception of our senses. Consequently, electrical phenomena are more difficult to comprehend than mechanical phenomena. To study electricity, one relies on experimental evidence and insists on operational definitions of quantities. This chapter presents electrostatic attraction and electrostatic repulsion. It describes the electrical force quantitatively by the expression called Coulomb's law. There is a principle of superposition for electrical forces just as there is a principle of superposition for mechanical forces. The chapter presents a study of electromagnetism. It describes the progressive development of two central themes of electricity that is, fields and energy, including the principle of conservation of energy.