ABSTRACT
Students find forces at a distance mysterious and confusing. It helps them to see that the best physicists have struggled with the same problems. Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation seemed to be the product of one brilliant mind. It is a complete law governing the motion of all celestial bodies in the universe. Michael Faraday's lines of force, or field, were a fundamental development from Isaac Newton's idea of the universe. No longer was the universe an empty stage for particles to act upon. Albert Einstein's great revelation was that the gravitational field does not pass through space – he realised that the gravitational field and space are the same thing. Enrico Fermi's forces did not use lines of force. He used particles to carry the forces between subatomic particles. When learners try to link their electricity and electrostatic schemata they often become confused. Electrostatics works on insulating materials as well as conducting materials. But when they learn about current, only conductors work.
