FIELD


Meaning of FIELD in English

n.

In physics, a region in which each point is affected by a force.

Objects fall to the ground because they are affected by the force of earth's gravitational field (see gravitation ). A paper clip, placed in the magnetic field surrounding a magnet, is pulled toward the magnet, and two like magnetic poles repel each other when one is placed in the other's magnetic field. An electric field surrounds an electric charge ; when another charged particle is placed in that region, it experiences an electric force that either attracts or repels it. The strength of a field, or the forces in a particular region, can be represented by field lines; the closer the lines, the stronger the forces in that part of the field. See also electromagnetic field .

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.