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In physics this theorem is one of the ways of defining a conservative force. By placing φ as potential, ∇ φ is a conservative field . Work done by conservative forces does not depend on the path followed by the object, but only the end points, as the above equation shows.
A parametric C r-curve or a C r-parametrization is a vector-valued function: that is r-times continuously differentiable (that is, the component functions of γ are continuously differentiable), where , {}, and I is a non-empty interval of real numbers.
In mathematics and physics, Laplace's equation is a second-order partial differential equation named after Pierre-Simon Laplace, who first studied its properties.This is often written as = or =, where = = is the Laplace operator, [note 1] is the divergence operator (also symbolized "div"), is the gradient operator (also symbolized "grad"), and (,,) is a twice-differentiable real-valued function.
Calculus is of vital importance in physics: many physical processes are described by equations involving derivatives, called differential equations. Physics is particularly concerned with the way quantities change and develop over time, and the concept of the "time derivative" — the rate of change over time — is essential for the precise ...
In mathematics, the derivative is a fundamental tool that quantifies the sensitivity to change of a function's output with respect to its input. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is the slope of the tangent line to the graph of the function at that point.
In physics problems it may be the case that =, meaning the integrand is a function of () and ′ but does not appear separately. In that case, the Euler–Lagrange equation can be simplified to the Beltrami identity [ 16 ] L − f ′ ∂ L ∂ f ′ = C , {\displaystyle L-f'{\frac {\partial L}{\partial f'}}=C\,,} where C {\displaystyle C} is a ...
In mathematics, the total derivative of a function f at a point is the best linear approximation near this point of the function with respect to its arguments. Unlike partial derivatives, the total derivative approximates the function with respect to all of its arguments, not just a single one.
In calculus, the differential represents the principal part of the change in a function = with respect to changes in the independent variable. The differential is defined by = ′ (), where ′ is the derivative of f with respect to , and is an additional real variable (so that is a function of and ).