Vector Fields and Hydrodynamics

Program 136


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At first glance, replacing the old idea of action at a distance by the new idea of the field of force seems to be an exercise in semantics. But it isn't, because fields have definite properties of their own which are eminently suitable for scientific study. For example, electric fields are different in form from magnetic fields, and both kinds can better be understood by analogy to fields of fluid flow.