Electrostatics of Conductors
conductor is material that allows electrons to move relatively freely from atom to atom.
It was emphasized that when a conductor acquires an excess charge, the excess charge moves about and distributes itself about the conductor in such a manner as to reduce the total amount of repulsive forces within the conductor.
We will explore this in more detail in this section of Lesson 4 as we introduce the idea of electrostatic equilibrium.
Electrostatic equilibrium is the condition established by charged conductors in which the excess charge has optimally distanced itself so as to reduce the total amount of repulsive forces.
Once a charged conductor has reached the state of electrostatic equilibrium, there is no further motion of charge about the surface.
In an electrostatic situation, the following conditions are applicable to conductors.
(i) Within a conductor, both the electric field and volume density of charge vanish.
(ii) Just outside the surface, the electric field acts at right angles to the surface.
