Electrostatics: Electric Charges and Fields

Electric Charges and Fields: Introduction

A child coming down a plastic slide whose hair is sticking straight up from static electricity.

Do you know why your hair stands on end sometimes or why you might feel that prickly feeling in your arms just before you shock someone? It has to do with electric charge and the repulsion of those changes away from each other. In this section, you will learn about electric charges and electric fields and the concept of electrostatic force.