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field
- (physics) A physical entity that is described by specifying the value of some quantity at every point of space and time. Alternatively, a region within which a particular type of force can be observed or experienced. Varieties of field include a gravitational field, electric field, magnetic field (or when the latter two are linked, an electromagnetic field), and nuclear field.
The laws of physics suggest that fields represent more than a possibility of force being observed, but that they can also transmit energy and momentum – a light wave, for example, is a phenomenon completely defined by fields. Whereas a field exists throughout a region of space and time, a particle exists only at a single point. - (math) A number system in which addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (except by zero) are always defined, and the associative and distributive laws are valid. For example, the set of rational numbers is a field, whereas the set of integers is not a field, because the result of dividing one integer by another is not necessarily an integer. The real numbers also constitute a field, as do the complex numbers. Compare with ring.
• ALGEBRA
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