Force field (physics): Difference between revisions
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[[Image:GravityPotential.jpg|thumb|300px|Plot of a two-dimensional slice of the gravitational potential in and around a uniform spherical body. The [[inflection point]]s of the cross-section are at the surface of the body.]] |
[[Image:GravityPotential.jpg|thumb|300px|Plot of a two-dimensional slice of the gravitational potential in and around a uniform spherical body. The [[inflection point]]s of the cross-section are at the surface of the body.]] |
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In [[physics]] a '''force field''' is a [[vector field]] that describes a [[non-contact force]] acting on a particle at various positions in [[space]]. Specifically, a force field is a vector field <math>\vec{F} |
In [[physics]] a '''force field''' is a [[vector field]] that describes a [[non-contact force]] acting on a particle at various positions in [[space]]. Specifically, a force field is a vector field <math>\vec{F}</math>, where <math>\vec{F}(\vec{x})</math> is the force that a particle would feel if it were at the point <math>\vec{x}</math>.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=akbi_iLSMa4C&pg=PA211 Mathematical methods in chemical engineering, by V. G. Jenson and G. V. Jeffreys, p211]</ref> |
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==Examples of force fields== |
==Examples of force fields== |
Revision as of 16:49, 16 January 2016
In physics a force field is a vector field that describes a non-contact force acting on a particle at various positions in space. Specifically, a force field is a vector field , where is the force that a particle would feel if it were at the point .[1]
Examples of force fields
- In Newtonian gravity, a particle of mass M creates a gravitational field , where the radial unit vector points away from the particle. The gravitational force experienced by a particle of mass m is given by . [2][3]
- An electric field is a vector field. It exerts a force on a point charge q given by . [4]
- a gravitational force field is a model used to explain the influence that a massive body extends into the space around itself, producing a force on another massive body.,[5]
Restriction to position-dependent forces
Some forces, including friction, air drag, and the magnetic force on a charged particle, depend on the particle's velocity as well as its position. Therefore these forces are not characterized by a force field.
Work done by a force field
As a particle moves through a force field along a path C, the work done by the force is a line integral
This value is independent of the velocity/momentum that the particle travels along the path. For a conservative force field, it is also independent of the path itself, but depends only on the starting and ending points. Therefore, if the starting and ending points are the same, the work is zero for a conservative field:
If the field is conservative, the work done can be more easily evaluated by realizing that a conservative vector field can be written as the gradient of some scalar potential function:
The work done is then simply the difference in the value of this potential in the starting and end points of the path. If these points are given by x = a and x = b, respectively:
See also
References
- ^ Mathematical methods in chemical engineering, by V. G. Jenson and G. V. Jeffreys, p211
- ^ Vector calculus, by Marsden and Tromba, p288
- ^ Engineering mechanics, by Kumar, p104
- ^ Calculus: Early Transcendental Functions, by Larson, Hostetler, Edwards, p1055
- ^ Geroch, Robert (1981). General relativity from A to B. University of Chicago Press. p. 181. ISBN 0-226-28864-1., Chapter 7, page 181