Field facts for kids

A field is a word with many different meanings, depending on what you are talking about! It can describe a piece of land, a way to organize information on a computer, or even an invisible force that affects things around it.

What is a Field of Land?

A field can be a large area of land, often found on a farm. Farmers use these fields to grow crops like corn or wheat, or to let animals like cows and sheep graze. Imagine a wide-open space, usually covered in grass, with no trees. This kind of field is also sometimes called a meadow.

Fields in Computer Science

When you use a computer, especially with programs that store lots of information, a field is a specific place where you put a certain type of data. Think of it like a column in a table.

For example, if you have a list of students, you might have a field for "First Name," another for "Last Name," and one for "Age." Each of these is a field.

• A field is a category of information.
• A field value is the actual piece of information in that field for one person or item. For example, if the "First Name" field has "Anna," then "Anna" is a field value.
• A record is a collection of all the field values for one complete item or person. So, a record for one student would include their first name, last name, and age all together.

Field of Vision

Your field of vision is simply everything you can see at one time without moving your head or eyes. It's the entire area that your eyes can take in. When you look straight ahead, you can still see things to your sides, above, and below – that whole area is your field of vision.

Fields in Physics

In physics, a field is a special idea. It's like an invisible influence that spreads out through a large area of space. This influence can affect objects within that space.

Magnetic Fields

One common example is a magnetic field. You can't see it, but it's the area around a magnet where its magnetic force can be felt. If you bring another magnet or a piece of metal like iron close to this area, you'll feel the magnet pulling or pushing it. This is because of the magnetic field.

• See also: force field