History
Vector fields arose originally in classical field theory in 19th century physics, specifically in magnetism. They were formalized by Michael Faraday, in his concept of lines of force, who emphasized that the field itself should be an object of study, which it has become throughout physics in the form of field theory.
In addition to the magnetic field, other phenomena that were modeled as vector fields by Faraday include the electrical field and light field.
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