ON THE APPLICABILITY LIMITS OF COULOMB’S LAW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31110/2413-1571-2021-027-1-009Keywords:
university physics education, Coulomb's law, applicability limitsAbstract
Formulation of the problem. In the study of Coulomb's law, the emphasis is usually made on its application in solving educational problems. At the same time, the applicability limits of this law are almost not discussed, which leads to its excessive use and "absolutization". In this regard, there is a necessity to identify and clarify the criteria for the application of such a law. In order to avoid "absolutization", it is also necessary to select and consider with students qualitatively new effects that arise in case of violation of such conditions.
Materials and methods. Generalization and systematic analysis of literary primary sources on selected topics; the image method, system approach, problem solving.
Results. Induction and polarization effects affect the distortion of the point charge field in different ways. In the first case, such distortion is observed at small distances from it, and there may even be an effect of "interaction inversion". The effect of charge screening leads to the disappearance of the point charge field at distances greater than the Debye radius. When a point charge moves, both the "deformation" and the occurrence of the vortex component of the electric field and the occurrence of the magnetic field appear.
Conclusions. The following four conditions for the correct use of Coulomb's law are identified: 1) the charges can be approximately considered as the point charges (the distance between the charged bodies should be much larger than their sizes) or should have a spherically symmetrical distribution in space; 2) the charges should not "intersect" with each other; 3) charges should be located in a vacuum or in any other boundless isotropic medium; 4) the charges should be fixed relative to the reference frame in which their interaction is considered. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of the influence of deviations from the given conditions considered in this work should help readers to investigate the limits of applicability of Coulomb's model law.
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