Re: Chabay/Sherwood

[John Mallinckrodt <ajmallinckro@CSUPOMONA.EDU>]

On Fri, 15 Feb 2002, Ludwik Kowalski wrote:

> Pedagogy aside, "Electric & Magnetic Interactions" of Chabay
> and Sherwood is conceptually very unusual textbook. The idea
> of static charges on the surfaces of wires with currents is worth
> discussing. Was this discussed on Phys-L before? If so then
> by whom and under what subject name?

See item #41 of your own post

 <http://mailgate.nau.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9802&L=phys-l&P=R9732>

It says

 41) "Static electricity" applies to all circuits, not just to
 drier cling and fur-rubbed plastic. Surface charges on the wires
 are the cause of electric currents in circuits.

This was supposedly a collection of *misconceptions* from
textbooks so I'm not sure how to understand the comment.

At any rate, it is not a misconception.  It is precisely the point
C&S are trying to make and it answers the question you pose in the
second paragraph of this message.

> I keep having questions as I read. For example, "is it OK to
> assume that surface charges create electric fields both inside
> and outside the wires when the current is flowing?"

John Mallinckrodt      mailto:ajm@csupomona.edu
Cal Poly Pomona          http://www.csupomona.edu/~ajm