Instability of a drop in relation to its own or polarizing charges

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Regularities in the changes of the potential energy of an oscillating spherical and virtually spheroidal drop on the threshold of stability loss in relation to its self-charge are studied. For an unloaded drop in a uniform electrostatic field, in which it takes the equilibrium form of a spheroid extended across the field and for which there is no simple conclusion for the criterion of instability in relation to a polarizing charge, a simple and physically transparent method of assessment of the criterion in order of magnitude based on comparison of the potential energy of capillary and electrostatic forces is offered mathematically.