Re: Fields

[Bob Sciamanda <trebor@VELOCITY.NET>]

You may ignore the field concept here.  You are simply calculating the net
effect of two (electrostatic) forces simultaneously acting on a single
object.  The field is simply a measure of the force on a standard object.

Bob Sciamanda
Physics, Edinboro Univ of PA (ret)
trebor@velocity.net
http://www.velocity.net/~trebor

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Green <JMGreen@SISNA.COM>
To: PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU <PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU>
Date: Friday, February 05, 1999 12:52 AM
Subject: Re: Fields


> Thank you all for y our comments re the possible interactivity of two like
> fields.   I am a bit mystified by the responses -- the following seems to
> be somewhat typical:
>
> |     Sounds imprecise, but not wrong.  Force fields interact in the sense
> |     that they are vector fields, so electric fields add like vectors at
> |     any given point in space.  Thus, electric fields from multiple
sources
> |     can reinforce or cancel each other at any given point in space.
>
> Well yes, but suppose that there are three stationary electrons nearby each
> other.  I can calculate the electric field due to each of them, but if I
> want to find the net force on electron  I calculate the fields due to B &
> C, add them vectorially and then treat the result as ONE field.
>
> But I need to remember that the various fields do not really exist -- they
> are _inventions_ -- mathematical constructs if you will -- they are not
> fluids which "interact".
>
> Now, dear gurus, can we get some additional comments???
>
>
> Jim Green
> mailto:JMGreen@sisna.com
> http://users.sisna.com/jmgreen