Chemistry and Physics Faculty Articles

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-26-2019

Publication Title

European Journal of Physics

Keywords

Electrostatics, Method of images, Coulomb's law

ISSN

0143-0807

Volume

40

Issue/No.

3

First Page

035201

Abstract

An electrostatics experiment is presented that is practical, affordable, and quantitative. The equipment required is readily available and relatively inexpensive. The experiment relies on the electrostatic induction that results from a charged insulative plate in proximity to a conductive sphere. The experiment yields accessible results (a) under a variety of environmental conditions and results that (b) allow for quantitative analyses. These two characteristics distinguish it from most other simple electrostatics experiments. It is intended for college introductory physics students.

Comments

©2019 European Physical Society

ORCID ID

0000-0002-0308-8285

DOI

10.1088/1361-6404/ab01b3

Peer Reviewed

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