I'm attempting a question about the Stern-Gerlach experiment where an electron is used with an assumed up-spin state in a non-uniform magnetic field. It asks us to talk about the dynamics of this electron and what would happen if there was a double slit set up, but it also asks "What if the magnetic field is physical?". Is this just a nonsense question? surely the magnetic is always physical? I want to know if I'm misunderstanding a basic concept or if this is something much deeper.
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It is hard to say what is meant by that. People do consider electric and magnetic fields to be physical. They exert forces. You can think of them differently. The universe is real. Physics is a mathematical description of the universe. So in some sense, physics isn't real. But that is more philosophy than physics. See How is energy "stored in an electric field"? for more on this. – mmesser314 Jan 30 '24 at 19:23
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Is this just a nonsense question? Yes. – Ghoster Jan 31 '24 at 00:46