Unit 2: Electrostatics
Now, let's turn to the study of electricity and magnetism, two different aspects of electromagnetism. We start by looking at electrostatics: the rules that govern the behavior of static charges. Thales of Miletus (c. 624–548 bc), the Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, carried out the first experiments on electrical phenomena when he observed that you can generate a static charge when you rub amber with wool.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 20 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- state Coulomb's Law and the units of the physical quantities contained in the law;
- solve problems involving electric forces, electric fields, and electric potentials;
- compare and contrast the electric potential and the electric field;
- solve problems involving the motion of charged particles in an electric field;
- define capacitance and the factors that determine capacitance;
- describe the effect of a dielectric material in a capacitor; and
- define electric potential energy and how capacitors can be used to store energy.