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In vector calculus, the curl, also known as rotor, is a vector operator that describes the infinitesimal circulation of a vector field in three-dimensional Euclidean space. The curl at a point in the field is represented by a vector whose length and direction denote the magnitude and axis of the maximum circulation. [1]
D: divergence, C: curl, G: gradient, L: Laplacian, CC: curl of curl. Each arrow is labeled with the result of an identity, specifically, the result of applying the operator at the arrow's tail to the operator at its head. The blue circle in the middle means curl of curl exists, whereas the other two red circles (dashed) mean that DD and GG do ...
This article uses the standard notation ISO 80000-2, which supersedes ISO 31-11, for spherical coordinates (other sources may reverse the definitions of θ and φ): . The polar angle is denoted by [,]: it is the angle between the z-axis and the radial vector connecting the origin to the point in question.
The divergence of the curl of any vector field (in three dimensions) is equal to zero: ∇ ⋅ ( ∇ × F ) = 0. {\displaystyle \nabla \cdot (\nabla \times \mathbf {F} )=0.} If a vector field F with zero divergence is defined on a ball in R 3 , then there exists some vector field G on the ball with F = curl G .
Del is a very convenient mathematical notation for those three operations (gradient, divergence, and curl) that makes many equations easier to write and remember. The del symbol (or nabla) can be formally defined as a vector operator whose components are the corresponding partial derivative operators.
In vector calculus, the Jacobian matrix (/ dʒ ə ˈ k oʊ b i ə n /, [1] [2] [3] / dʒ ɪ-, j ɪ-/) of a vector-valued function of several variables is the matrix of all its first-order partial derivatives.
Mathematical expressions involving these quantities in vector calculus and tensor analysis (such as the gradient, divergence, curl, and Laplacian) can be transformed from one coordinate system to another, according to transformation rules for scalars, vectors, and tensors. Such expressions then become valid for any curvilinear coordinate system.
In R 3, the gradient, curl, and divergence are special cases of the exterior derivative. An intuitive interpretation of the gradient is that it points "up": in other words, it points in the direction of fastest increase of the function. It can be used to calculate directional derivatives of scalar functions or normal directions. Divergence ...