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Full Idea
The word 'field' is simply a shorthand way of saying that a physical property is assigned to the points of space and time in a region.
Gist of Idea
A 'field' is just a region to which points can be assigned in space and time
Source
Brian R. Martin (Particle Physics [2011], 01)
Book Ref
Martin, Brian R.: 'Particle Physics' [One World 2011], p.11
A Reaction
This is disappointing because I had begun to think that fields were foundational for modern ontology. Turns out they are operational abstractions (according to Martin). Note that a field extends over time.
Related Idea
Idea 21212 The Higgs field, unlike others, has a nozero value in a state without particles [Martin,BR]
| 15314 | Faraday's single field of variable forces introduces a criterion of Unity into what is ultimate [Faraday, by Harré/Madden] |
| 17548 | Maxwell introduced real fields, which transferred forces from point to point [Heisenberg] |
| 18202 | The concept of a field gradually replaced the substances in explaining relations between charges [Einstein/Infeld] |
| 20639 | Quantum fields contain continual rapid creation and disappearance [Close] |
| 11931 | Energy fields are discontinuous at the very small [Molnar] |
| 18223 | In theories of fields, space-time points or regions are causal agents [Field,H] |
| 21201 | A 'field' is just a region to which points can be assigned in space and time [Martin,BR] |
| 21212 | The Higgs field, unlike others, has a nozero value in a state without particles [Martin,BR] |
| 21730 | A 'field' is a property with a magnitude, distributed across all of space and time [Baggott] |
| 21731 | Fields can be 'scalar', or 'vector', or 'tensor', or 'spinor' [Baggott] |
| 21161 | In the standard model all the fundamental force fields merge at extremely high energies [New Sci.] |
| 20463 | There are about fifteen particles fields, plus a few force fields [Rovelli] |
| 20464 | The world consists of quantum fields, with elementary events happening in spacetime [Rovelli] |
| 20462 | Because it is quantised, a field behaves like a set of packets of energy [Rovelli] |