Divergence of a vector field
Gives the divergence of a vector field, the net outflow per unit volume at a point, computed as the sum of the partial derivatives of each component with respect to its own coordinate. It is used in fluid dynamics, electromagnetism and vector calculus to measure sources and sinks.
\nabla \cdot \boldsymbol{a} = \sum_i \frac{\partial a_i}{\partial x_i}What the symbols mean
| vector field | |
| i-th Cartesian component of the vector field \boldsymbol{a} | |
| i-th Cartesian coordinate | |
| divergence operator |
About this formula
- FieldMathematics
- TopicVector calculus
- LevelUniversity
- Also calleddivergence, div a, divergence formula, divergence in Cartesian coordinates, divergence of a vector, nabla dot vector
- SourceWikidata Q189000
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