The key difference between electrostatics and magnetostatics is that electrostatics is the study of electric charges at rest, whereas magnetostatics is the study of magnetic fields in systems where the currents are steady.
Electrostatics and magnetostatics are two branches of electromagnetism. Magnetostatics is the magnetic analogue of electrostatics.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Electrostatics
3. What is Magnetostatics
4. Side by Side Comparison – Electrostatics vs Magnetostatics in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Electrostatics?
Electrostatics is a branch of electromagnetism that studies the electric charges at rest. According to classical physics, some materials such as amber can attract lightweight particles after rubbing its surface. The Greek name of amber, “electron”, has led to the name “electricity”. The phenomena of electrostatics arise from the forces that electric charges exert on each other. These forces can be described using Coulomb’s law. Generally, electrostatically induced forces are weak, but some electrostatic forces such as the force between an electron and a proton is about 36 orders of magnitude stronger than the gravitational force acting between these subatomic particles.
Figure 01: Electrostatic Nature on Cat’s Fur due to Rubbing
We can get many examples for electrostatic phenomena, including the simple attraction forces between a plastic wrap and one’s hand or photocopier and laser printing operation. The term electrostatics includes the building up of charges on the surface of objects due to the contact between surfaces. Usually, the charge exchange happens whenever any two surfaces contact and separate, but the effects of charge exchanges usually are noticed when at least one of the surfaces has a high resistance to electrical flow. This happens because the charges that transfer between surfaces are trapped there for a long time that is enough for effect to be observed. Thereafter, these electrical charges tend to remain on the object surface until the charges either bleed off to ground or are quickly neutralized by a discharge.
What is Magnetostatics?
Magnetostatics is a branch of electromagnetism in which we can study the magnetic fields of systems where the currents are steady. In other words, magnetostatics is applied to systems having currents that do not change with time. This phenomenon is the magnetic analogue of electrostatics (where the charges are stationary).
Typically, magnetization need not be static. We can use the equations of magnetostatics to predict fast magnetic switching events that occur on time scales of nanoseconds or less. Moreover, magnetostatics is even a good approximation when the currents are not static (as long as the currents are not alternated rapidly). Commonly, magnetostatics is used in applications of micromagnetics such as models of magnetic storage devices as in computer memory. Other than that, magnetostatic focusing can be achieved by either using a permanent magnetic or by passing a current through a coil of wire whose axis coincides with the beam axis.
What is the Difference Between Electrostatics and Magnetostatics?
Electrostatics and magnetostatics are two branches of electromagnetism. Magnetostatics is the magnetic analogue of electrostatics. The key difference between electrostatics and magnetostatics is that electrostatics is the study of electric charges at rest, whereas magnetostatics is the study of magnetic fields in systems where the currents are steady. Moreover, electrostatics is associated with both conductive and non-conductive materials, while magnetostatics is associated with magnetizable materials.
Below is a summary tabulation of the difference between electrostatics and magnetostatics.
Summary – Electrostatics vs Magnetostatics
Electrostatics and magnetostatics are two branches of electromagnetism. Magnetostatics is the magnetic analogue of electrostatics. The key difference between electrostatics and magnetostatics is that electrostatics is the study of electric charges at rest, whereas magnetostatics is the study of magnetic fields in systems where the currents are steady.
Reference:
1. “Electrostatics.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Cat demonstrating static cling with styrofoam peanuts” By Original image: Sean McGrath from Saint John, NB, CanadaDerived image: Black Rainbow 999 – Original image: Cooper and Styrofoam on Flickr (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia