A numerical method of calculating the correct stable equilibrium shape of a conducting drop subject to electrical forces is described. Its application to the problem of the stability of an isolated water drop of undistorted radiusRand surface tensionTsituated in an electric fieldEindicates that a drop is unstable ifE(R/T)12exceeds a value of 1.603 and its maximum stable deformation expressed asa/b, the ratio of the major to minor axes is 1.83. The numerical method is also applied to a study of the stability of drop pairs. The results show that the critical value ofE(R/T)12depends upon the initial separationXof the drops. ForX = 0, E(R/T)12is zero and its value increases asXincreases, tending to a value of 1.603. Finally, the relevance of these results to the behavior of drops in the atmosphere is discussed.