LAUSR

Abstract We analyze the electrostatic interaction of two equal-sized charged conducting spheres when they are about to touch each other. The classical solutions for this interaction converge ever more slowly in this limit and the solutions fail completely when the spheres touch each other. The asymptotic expansions of the solutions starting at the point of contact get more accurate as the spheres approach each other, however, the expansions must be terminated at a finite number of terms to obtain sensible answers from otherwise divergent series. We examine the asymptotic behavior of this electrostatic interaction.