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Panofsky's book ... pp. 115-116:
"Thus the decrease in force that is experienced between
two charges when they are immersed in a dielectric liquid can be understood only
by considering the effect of the pressure of the liquid on the charges
themselves. In accordance with the philosophy of the action-at-a-distance
theory, no change in the purely electrical interaction between the charges takes
place."
-- Scenario 1: I bring a charge to point A and another charge
to point B (bringing them in from infinity as described above)
in the absence of any dielectric.
-- Scenario 2: Same, except that there is a slab of _solid_
dielectric material in some of the space between A and B.
There's no pressure on the charges in either scenario, but
the energies and forces are quite different.
Yes, but the case has nothing to do with the one in which the charges move in a
liquid dielectric. If, for instance, they are opposite, in your Scenario 2 you
will obtain some more work than in your Scenario 1, due to the polarization of
the solid dielectric. If, in Scenario 3, the charges go the same route but are
in water all along, you will obtain 80 times less work than in scenario 1.