Magnetic, Electric ,Electromagnetic WTH?

[Sirius]

Digging into NHI of all things there is a trend of conclusions being made on a lack of understanding on what fields are and that there are different kinds.  Here is a quick list for reference if you ever need to know WTH you are reading about.

 Physical Fields

1. Magnetic Field
   • Effect: Exerts force on magnetic materials and moving charges (e.g., electric currents).
     
   • Source: Magnets, moving electric charges, or changing electric fields.
     
   • Example: Earth's magnetic field, which influences compasses.
     
2. Electric Field
   • Effect: Exerts force on charged particles (e.g., electrons or protons).
     
   • Source: Static or moving electric charges.
     
   • Example: The field around a charged balloon causing hair to stand up.
     
3. Static Field
   • Effect: A stationary field, such as an electric field from a static charge or a gravitational field from stationary mass.
     
   • Source: Stationary charges (electric) or stationary masses (gravitational).
     
   • Example: The static charge buildup in dry weather.
     
4. Gravitational Field
   • Effect: Exerts an attractive force on masses.
     
   • Source: Any mass.
     
   • Example: Earth's gravitational field pulling objects toward its center.
     
5. Electromagnetic Field
   • Effect: Combines electric and magnetic fields, affecting charged particles and currents.
     
   • Source: Oscillating charges or currents.
     
   • Example: Light waves or radio waves.
     

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Quantum Fields

1. Higgs Field
   • Effect: Gives particles mass through interaction.
     
   • Source: Fundamental quantum field.
     
   • Example: Explains why particles like electrons have mass.
     
2. Quantum Field
   • Effect: Describes interactions of particles and forces at the quantum level.
     
   • Source: Fluctuations in fundamental fields (e.g., electromagnetic, weak nuclear, strong nuclear).
     
   • Example: Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) for photons and electrons.
     
3. Strong Nuclear Field
   • Effect: Binds protons and neutrons within the nucleus.
     
   • Source: Gluons (particles mediating the strong force).
     
   • Example: Holds atomic nuclei together.
     
4. Weak Nuclear Field
   • Effect: Governs radioactive decay and neutrino interactions.
     
   • Source: W and Z bosons.
     
   • Example: Beta decay in radioactive isotopes.
     

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Other Types of Fields

1. Acoustic Field
   • Effect: Propagation of sound waves through a medium.
     
   • Source: Vibrating objects.
     
   • Example: Sound waves in air from a speaker.
     
2. Thermal Field
   • Effect: Heat transfer and distribution in a region.
     
   • Source: Temperature gradients.
     
   • Example: Heat radiating from a fire.
     
3. Scalar Field
   • Effect: Describes a scalar value (e.g., temperature or pressure) at each point in space.
     
   • Source: Any quantity that can be represented by a single value at each location.
     
   • Example: A temperature map showing variations.
     
4. Vector Field
   • Effect: Represents magnitude and direction (e.g., wind velocity, electric field).
     
   • Source: Any quantity with direction and magnitude.
     
   • Example: Wind flow over an area.
     

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Hypothetical and Speculative Fields

1. Dark Energy Field
   • Effect: Accelerates the expansion of the universe.
     
   • Source: Unknown; associated with the cosmological constant.
     
   • Example: Observations of distant galaxies.
     
2. Dark Matter Field
   • Effect: Adds gravitational effects to galaxies and clusters beyond visible matter.
     
   • Source: Hypothetical particles or interactions.
     
   • Example: Galaxy rotation curves.
     
3. Tachyon Field
   • Effect: Hypothetical; linked to faster-than-light particles.
     
   • Source: Hypothetical quantum fields.
     
   • Example: Theoretical models in string theory.