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Electrostatics includes several divisions: electrical properties of matter, capacitance, electric flux, electric potential, electric field, electric force, charge distributions, and electric charge. |
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Capacitance is a measure of the energy involved in maintaining the separation of charges, and is given as coulombs per volt.
Electric flux is an abstract quantity that is somwhat difficult to visualize. It has roots in analogies between electricity and mechanics, and is most commonly explained in terms of lines of force. It is defined as the product of an electrical field and an area perpendicular to it. This quantity is used principally in electromagnetic calculations.
It is often more convenient to suppose that the presence of an electric charge or distribution of charges influences the space around it and sets up an electric field. This field is considered to have a magnitude and a direction at each point in space, and can be considered to determine the net or total electric force on a charged body.
The presence of an electric field and the accompanying force means that motion of charged bodies within this field involves work and changes in energy. The possible changes in energy are described by the electric potential.
Various cases and formulations of electrical force, based on the elementary force between charges and between charged bodies of various distributions are important in electrostatics
Various cases of the geometric distribution of charges along a line, on a plane, or in three-dimensional space are important in electrostatics.
Electrical charge is a fundamental property of matter. Basic principles include the elementary unit, positive and negative charges, electrical neutrality, and conservation of charge.
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The history of electrostatics is long, although in antiquity and in classical and medieval history, it was a curiosity more than anything else. Its principal develoment has come in modern times. |
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It is also connected to sociology, and institutions. Culture including material culture, conceptual culture, and behavioral culture is also highly useful in electrostatics. Anthropology including social foundations, demography, physical anthropology, human ecology, human geography, and particular groups is also useful. Electrostatics is connected to personal studies including the human body, psychology, and biography. Electrostatics depends heavily on various areas of mechanics. Particle mechanics including particle description, kinematics, kinetics, energetics, and systems is often highly useful.Rigid body mechanics including rigid body description and motion, rotational dynamics, static systems, and dynamic systems can be connected. Nonrigid mechanics including defomable bodies, fluid mechanics, and mechanical waves is also signficant. Gravitation including surface gravitation, Particle gravitation, rigid body gravitation,and deformable body gravitation is also connected. Thermodynamics is not highly useful. Electric current including current definition, EMF, Resistivity, DC circuits, and AC circuits may be useful. Magnetism including current elements, assemblages, magnetic field, force, flux, magnetic properties of matter is also connected to electrostatics. Optics including electromagnetic waves, geometric optics, physical optics, quantum optics, and the electromagnetic spectrum is also significant. Relativity theory and quantum physics are used at various levels. Electrostatics is closely related to the structure of matter, especially to subatomic particles, but atomic physics, molecular physics, and bulk matter physics are also important. Chemistry is useful in showing applications of electrostatics in substances, changes, and systems. Astronomy including cosmology, galactic astronomy, stellar astronomy, and solar system astronomy also shows a few applications. Earth science including geology, hydrospheric science, atmospheric science, physical geography, and geohistory also demonstrates a few. biology including molecular biology, cell biology, organism biology, systematics, ecology, and biohistory also demonstrates a few applications. |
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