ABSTRACT
The electrostatic field, introduced in Chapter 20, describes forces, which are vector quantities. In this chapter, we switch to the electrostatic potential, which describes energies, which are scalar quantities. We switch for two reasons. First, scalars are easier to use than vectors. Second, our aim in Chapters 22 and 23 is to predict equilibria in systems in which charges play a role. To predict equilibria, we need energies.
