Coulomb’s force describes the direct interaction between charges. The electric field is a more general way of thinking about this interaction: every charge creates a field in the surrounding space, and other charges feel the force through this field. This chapter builds the field paradigm — field lines, equipotential surfaces, Gauss’s theorem — introduces potential as energy per unit charge, studies conductors, capacitors and dielectrics, and closes with the idea that the field is a physical thing that contains energy.
Sections
- The electric field
- Gauss’s theorem
- Electric potential and circulation
- Conductors in electrostatic equilibrium
- Capacitor and dielectrics
- Energy density of the field