Re: TC Electrostatics (fwd)

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: TC Electrostatics (fwd)
From: Richard Hull <hullr-at-whitlock-dot-com>
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 1997 13:13:46 -0800
Subscriber: hullr-at-whitlock-dot-com Thu Jan 2 22:37:59 1997

Tesla List wrote:
> 
> Subscriber: rwall-at-ix-dot-netcom-dot-com Sat Dec 21 15:34:16 1996
> Date: Fri, 20 Dec 1996 19:07:40 -0800
> From: Richard Wayne Wall <rwall-at-ix-dot-netcom-dot-com>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: TC Electrostatics (fwd)
> 
> 12/20/96
> 
> GL wrote:
> 
> snip
> 
> >
> >Isn't Ohm's law at work here as well?  I am convinced that if you
> >replace the 100 ft wire with a (non-conductive) 100 ft string, that
> >the apparatus will not work.
> 
> Ohm's law applies only to electrodynamics, but never to electrostatics.
> There is no movement of charge in electrostatics, therefore there is no
> current and E=IR isn't applicable.  Only the electrostatic field may
> vary about an ES charge.  This ES field produces the Coulombic force
> which is capable of tremendous work.
> 
> If an electrostatic charge moves or changes position then immediately
> EM current is created and Ohm's law applies.  This applies to the 100'
> wire above if charge is redistributed in the wire.  If a charged
> capacitor (ES) is discharge by a conductor then electrodynamics (ED)
> occur, EM is produced and Ohm's law applies only as long as charge
> changes position.
> 
> RWW

Greg,

This actually touches on the well known electrostatic law of 
"equipotential surfaces"  All charge on a conductive surface attempts to 
uniformly distribute itself over the entire surface.  The surface need 
not be uniform or regular, only unbroken.  This discussion is found in 
most older college level physics texts which deal with electrostatics in 
depth.  

I found my source on equipotential sufraces in "Physics" by F.L. Robeson 
1943, macmillan, page 411. This is a superb text, and was the key physics 
textbook at Virginia Polytechnic Institute for years.  Many EEs cut there 
physics "teeth" on this classic text which really treated the world of 
electrostatics in depth.

This begs the further question about the speed of the ES wave over such 
an item. gotta' think about an experiment for this.

Richard Hull, TCBOR