The Springer International Series in Engineering and Computer Science Electrostatics

Preface to first edition 1997 This book has developed from more that 40 years of work with static electric problems and almost as long a period of teaching courses on electrostatics, primarily at The Technical University of Denmark. Preface to second edition This book differs from the first edition by several topics being totally rewritten. This edition, like its predecessor, aims to provide a comprehensive and coherent account of static electric phenomena and concepts based on a mathematical-physical approach. It is intended for the nonspecialists interested in understanding the electrostatic concepts, and for the specialized engineer who may not be familiar with the basic fundamentals. The book has been updated to include new and expanded material on charge decay, charge neutralization by air ions, breakdown between conductors with different electrode geometry and a completely rewritten chapter on electrostatic measurements with special emphasis put on showing the difficulty in relating the voltage of a conductor with a measured field strength. Another important issue in this chapter is demonstrating that the concept of voltage can not be applied in connection with insulators.