What is a “field” in physics?

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I get that it’s values. It’s like, you assign a value to every point in space. But what “is” the electron field? It’s… what? I mean like a Kantian “field an sich”. Is the electron field the amount of electron-ness at a given point in space? What does that even mean beyond a calculation?

Are fields “real entities” with an objective physical reality? Or are they just mathematical abstractions that we use for calculation? Can you talk about fields without math? Does that even make sense? Like, I can talk about electrons without math. I can say they’re point particles that carry charge. But can you talk about the electron field outside of math? Or the EM field? Does it genuinely exist outside of an Electrodynamics calculation?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

A field is the thing that carries a force — it’s absolutely real. Drop iron filings on a magnet and you’ll see the field in the pattern.

Very precise knowledge of fields and how they work — that’s how MRIs work so well

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