Abstract:

The method of images constitutes one of the most powerful methods to solve electrostatics problems involving electric charges in presence of conducting bodies, as for example that of a charge in front of a conducting sphere, either grounded or insulated. This method, besides its elegance and power, is didactically important as it constitutes a very good example of how “analogical considerations” may be employed to bring back a physical problem to another one more simple to treat. Due to its importance, the method of images is presented in many physics textbooks, while it is almost absent in the educational multimedia world.
In this connection we present here a Java tutorial on the electrostatics method of images, visually illustrating its main features. Various cases are treated in the tutorial, such as that of a point charge in front of either an infinite conducting plane or a conducting sphere, both when the conductors are insulated and when are grounded. In particular, the location and size of the image charge are interactively shown, together with the surface distribution of polarization charge.

Keywords:

Tutorial, applet, electrostatics, method of images.