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The divergence of a vector field is often illustrated using the simple example of the velocity field of a fluid, a liquid or gas. A moving gas has a velocity , a speed and direction at each point, which can be represented by a vector , so the velocity of the gas forms a vector field .
The dotted vector, in this case B, is differentiated, while the (undotted) A is held constant. The utility of the Feynman subscript notation lies in its use in the derivation of vector and tensor derivative identities, as in the following example which uses the algebraic identity C⋅(A×B) = (C×A)⋅B:
The vector field corresponding to the example shown. Vectors may point into or out of the sphere. The divergence theorem can be used to calculate a flux through a closed surface that fully encloses a volume, like any of the surfaces on the left.
The divergence of the curl of any vector field is equal to zero ... whose magnitude is the curl of the 2-dimensional vector field, as in the examples on this page. ...
An example of a solenoidal vector field, (,) = (,) In vector calculus a solenoidal vector field (also known as an incompressible vector field , a divergence-free vector field , or a transverse vector field ) is a vector field v with divergence zero at all points in the field: ∇ ⋅ v = 0. {\displaystyle \nabla \cdot \mathbf {v} =0.}
The divergence at a point represents the degree to which a small volume around the point is a source or a sink for the vector flow, a result which is made precise by the divergence theorem. The divergence can also be defined on a Riemannian manifold , that is, a manifold with a Riemannian metric that measures the length of vectors.
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:
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.