A Review of Basic Electrostatics

This introductory chapter provides a review of basic electrostatistics. It describes the terms charge, force, electric field and electric flux density, and explains Gauss's law. An ideal conductor of charge is a material in which the charge carriers are free to move about under the influence of electrostatic forces. The chapter also describes terms electric potential, gradient, capacitance, and energy in an electric field. Later, Poisson's and Laplace's equations are explained. The chapter provides three examples of dielectric interfaces. It shows how the electrical properties of dipoles can be examined without getting entangled in considerations of dielectric interfaces. The chapter ends with a discussion of approximate numerical analysis.