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In vector calculus, divergence is a vector operator that operates on a vector field, producing a scalar field giving the quantity of the vector field's source at each point. More technically, the divergence represents the volume density of the outward flux of a vector field from an infinitesimal volume around a given point.
As the name implies, the divergence is a (local) measure of the degree to which vectors in the field diverge. The divergence of a tensor field of non-zero order k is written as =, a contraction of a tensor field of order k − 1. Specifically, the divergence of a vector is a scalar.
In vector calculus and physics, a vector field is an assignment of a vector to each point in a space, most commonly Euclidean space. [1] A vector field on a plane can be visualized as a collection of arrows with given magnitudes and directions, each attached to a point on the plane.
There are alternate ways of writing four-vector expressions in physics: The four-vector style can be used: , which is typically more compact and can use vector notation, (such as the inner product "dot"), always using bold uppercase to represent the four-vector, and bold lowercase to represent 3-space vectors, e.g. . Most of the 3-space vector ...
Vector calculus or vector analysis is a branch of mathematics concerned with the differentiation and integration of vector fields, primarily in three-dimensional Euclidean space, . [1] The term vector calculus is sometimes used as a synonym for the broader subject of multivariable calculus, which spans vector calculus as well as partial differentiation and multiple integration.
The divergence is roughly a measure of a vector field's increase in the direction it points; but more accurately, it is a measure of that field's tendency to converge toward or diverge from a point. The power of the del notation is shown by the following product rule:
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Multivariable calculus is used in many fields of natural and social science and engineering to model and study high-dimensional systems that exhibit deterministic behavior. In economics , for example, consumer choice over a variety of goods, and producer choice over various inputs to use and outputs to produce, are modeled with multivariate ...