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Download QR code; Print/export Download as PDF; ... Vector calculus identities — regarding operations on vector fields such as divergence, gradient, curl, etc.
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 ...
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]
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.
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.
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 orthogonal curvilinear coordinates of 3 dimensions, where = ; = = one can express the gradient of a scalar or vector field as = = = ; = For an orthogonal basis = = = The divergence of a vector field can then be written as = ( ) Also, = = = ; = = ; = = Therefore, = ( ) We can get an expression for the Laplacian in a similar manner by noting ...