Force field (physics)

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 F → {displaystyle {vec {F}}} , where F → ( x → ) {displaystyle {vec {F}}({vec {x}})} is the force that a particle would feel if it were at the point x → {displaystyle {vec {x}}} . 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 F → {displaystyle {vec {F}}} , where F → ( x → ) {displaystyle {vec {F}}({vec {x}})} is the force that a particle would feel if it were at the point x → {displaystyle {vec {x}}} . 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, depending 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: