Explain electrostatic phenomena in terms of the movement of electrons.Please give a detailed description on this.

Electrostatic phenomena result from the ability of
electrons to move relatively easily in many materials.  There are two general classes of
electrostatics:  induction and conduction.

Induction is
usually a temporary state where electrons within one substance are attracted or repelled
by a nearby charged object.  For example, if a positively charged object is brought near
a neutral object, the electrons in the neutral object are attracted to the positive
charge and the result is that within the neutral object the side toward the positive
charge develops a slightly negative charge and the side opposite the positive charge
develops a slighhtly positive charge.  The net charge of the neutral object is still
zero but the electrons are no longer evenly distributed within the object. When you
remove the positive charge the electrons within the neutral object redistribute and go
back to their original state.

When conduction occurs, a
charged object is brought into actual contact with a neutral object.  During this
contact, electrons actually move between the two objects and when the objects are
separated both objects now have the same charge.

For
example, a negative charge is brought into contact with a neutral object.  Some of the
excess electrons will move from the charged object to the neutral object. When they
separate the neutral object now has a negative charge (gained electrons) and the
negative object is still negative but less so (lost some of its excess electrons).   For
the case of a positive object and a neutral object brought into contact electrons now
move from the neutral object to the positive object and both become positively
charged.

An electroscope works on the same principle and is
used to detect charge in an object.

Some practical
applications of electrostatics are powder spray painting, electrostatic air filters in
homes, and electrostatic filters on tops of smokestacks of power plants burning
coal.

Electrostatic charges also exert forces on each other
which can be calculated using Coulomb's Law:  F = k Q1Q2/d
squared.