Chapter 26 - ELECTRIC CHARGE

Abstract

This chapter studies the electrical force. Electrical forces play a dominant role in the structure of atoms and molecules and an important role in the structure of nuclei. Electrical phenomena are more difficult to comprehend than mechanical phenomena. The chapter presents the historical background of electricity. It further discusses electrostatic attraction and electrostatic repulsion. Experiments show that electrical force is described quantitatively by the expression of Coulomb's law. The Coulomb electrical force describes a way in which the environment may influence a particle; the behavior of that particle is given by Newtonian mechanics. Experiments also show that two or more electrical forces may be combined vectorially. Therefore, there is a principle of superposition for electrical forces just as there is a principle of superposition for mechanical forces. The chapter also discusses electromagnetism (electrical and magnetic phenomena).