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The gradient of a function is called a gradient field. A (continuous) gradient field is always a conservative vector field: its line integral along any path depends only on the endpoints of the path, and can be evaluated by the gradient theorem (the fundamental theorem of calculus for line integrals). Conversely, a (continuous) conservative ...
The gradient theorem states that if the vector field F is the gradient of some scalar-valued function (i.e., if F is conservative), then F is a path-independent vector field (i.e., the integral of F over some piecewise-differentiable curve is dependent only on end points). This theorem has a powerful converse:
In vector calculus, a conservative vector field is a vector field that is the gradient of some function. [1] A conservative vector field has the property that its line integral is path independent; the choice of path between two points does not change the value of the line integral. Path independence of the line integral is equivalent to the ...
More generally, for a function of n variables (, …,), also called a scalar field, the gradient is the vector field: = (, …,) = + + where (=,,...,) are mutually orthogonal unit vectors. As the name implies, the gradient is proportional to, and points in the direction of, the function's most rapid (positive) change.
A vector field V defined on an open set S is called a gradient field or a conservative field if there exists a real-valued function (a scalar field) f on S such that = = (,,, …,). The associated flow is called the gradient flow , and is used in the method of gradient descent .
The gradient, , of a tensor field () in the direction of an arbitrary constant vector c is defined as: = (+) The gradient of a tensor field of order n is a tensor field of order n+1. Cartesian coordinates
In the case of the gravitational field g, which can be shown to be conservative, [3] it is equal to the gradient in gravitational potential Φ: =. There are opposite signs between gravitational field and potential, because the potential gradient and field are opposite in direction: as the potential increases, the gravitational field strength decreases and vice versa.
Vector operators include the gradient, divergence, and curl: Gradient is a vector operator that operates on a scalar field, producing a vector field. Divergence is a vector operator that operates on a vector field, producing a scalar field. Curl is a vector operator that operates on a vector field, producing a vector field. Defined in terms of del: