Electrostatic

Electrostatic refers to the study of phenomena by which stationary electric charges repel or attract each other. It is a branch of physics that deals with the phenomena and properties of stationary or slow-moving electric charges with no acceleration.

Overview

Electrostatic phenomena arise from the forces that electric charges exert on each other. Such forces are described by Coulomb's Law. Even though electrostatically induced forces seem to be rather weak, the electrostatic force between e.g. an electron and a proton, that together make up a hydrogen atom, is about 36 orders of magnitude stronger than the gravitational force acting between them.

Electrostatics in Medicine

In the field of medicine, electrostatics is used in various applications such as ECG, EEG, and ECT. These applications use the principles of electrostatics to diagnose and treat various health conditions.

Electrocardiography

Electrocardiography is a method used to record the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time using electrodes placed on the skin. These electrodes detect the tiny electrical changes on the skin that arise from the heart muscle's electrophysiologic pattern of depolarizing and repolarizing during each heartbeat.

Electroencephalography

Electroencephalography is an electrophysiological monitoring method to record electrical activity of the brain. It is typically noninvasive, with the electrodes placed along the scalp.

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive Therapy is a psychiatric treatment where seizures are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from mental disorders. The ECT procedure was first conducted in 1938 and is the only currently used form of shock therapy in psychiatry.

See Also

• Electricity
• Electromagnetism
• Physics
• Medicine

References

Electrostatic Resources
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