What is defined as the region of space where a mass experiences gravitational attraction?

The gravitational field is defined as the region of space around a mass where another mass experiences a force of gravitational attraction. This concept arises from Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that every mass attracts every other mass with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. The gravitational field can be visualized as a vector field, where the vectors point towards the mass creating the field, indicating the direction of the force that a small test mass would experience if placed in that field.

The other fields mentioned have distinct definitions and roles in physics. An electric field pertains to the influence of electric charges, affecting other charges within its vicinity. A magnetic field is associated with moving electric charges (currents) and magnetic materials, producing forces on other moving charges or magnetic objects. A potential field is a more general term that can apply to different types of fields but is often related to conservative forces, such as gravitational or electric potential energy, rather than the direct force experienced by a mass. Thus, the gravitational field specifically defines the gravitational attraction between masses in the space surrounding them.