Electrostatics

Abstract

The fundamental terms of classical mechanics, mass, length, time are more or less directly detectable by our sense organs and by our inherent sense of time, respectively. In a certain sense we can perceive them without any auxiliary experimental means. In electrodynamics there comes along as fourth basic quantity the charge, the observation of which, however, requires special auxiliary means. We do not have a sense organ for a direct perception of electrical phenomena. That makes them for the beginner imperceptible and conceptually quite difficult.