On the physical meaning of Maxwell stress tensor

Maxwell stress tensor is one of the methods which are generally used for electromagnetic force calculation. In this paper, it is presented that Maxwell stress tensor T and n·T have no physical meaning and therefore should not be used as sources of mechanical force for deformations or dynamics. The divergence of Maxwell stress tensor ▽·T is the one which can acquire a physical identity and is electromagnetic body force density by an action at a distance like a gravity. This result can be derived from the principle of power balance, and also verified by some thought experiments. The virtual air-gap approach is proposed as a valid solution for the calculation of the body force.