Electrostatics is the branch of science that studies the behavior of electric charges that are at rest, or "static." The phenomena of static electricity has been known for well over two thousand years, and a variety of electrostatic devices have been created over the centuries. The ancient Greek philosopher Thales (624-546 B.C.) discovered that when a piece of amber was rubbed, it could pick up light objects, a process known as triboelectrification. (The Greek name for amber, elektron, gave rise to many of the words we use today in connection with electricity.) It was also noted that lodestone had the natural ability to pick up iron objects, although the early Greeks did not know that electricity and magnetism were linked.

In the late 16th century, William Gilbert (1544-1603) began experimenting with static electricity, pointing out the difference between static electric attraction and magnetic attraction. Later...