Action at a distance (physics)  

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In physics, action at a distance is the interaction of two objects which are separated in space with no known mediator of the interaction.

This term was used most often in the context of early theories of gravity and electromagnetism to describe how an object responds to the influence of distant massive or charged bodies. More generally "Action at a distance" describes the break between human intuition, where objects have to touch to interact, and physical theory. The exploration and resolution of this problematic phenomenon led to significant developments in physics, from the concept of a field, to descriptions of quantum entanglement and the mediator particles of the standard model.

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Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Action at a distance (physics)" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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