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In mathematics, a change of variables is a basic technique used to simplify problems in which the original variables are replaced with functions of other variables. The intent is that when expressed in new variables, the problem may become simpler, or equivalent to a better understood problem. Change of variables is an operation that is related ...
In anisotropic media, the diffusion coefficient depends on the direction. It is a symmetric tensor Dji = Dij. Fick's first law changes to it is the product of a tensor and a vector: For the diffusion equation this formula gives The symmetric matrix of diffusion coefficients Dij should be positive definite.
The result, div F, is a scalar function of x. Since this definition is coordinate-free, it shows that the divergence is the same in any coordinate system. However it is not often used practically to calculate divergence; when the vector field is given in a coordinate system the coordinate definitions below are much simpler to use.
In probability theory, a probability density function ( PDF ), density function, or density of an absolutely continuous random variable, is a function whose value at any given sample (or point) in the sample space (the set of possible values taken by the random variable) can be interpreted as providing a relative likelihood that the value of ...
In statistical mechanics, the mean squared displacement ( MSD, also mean square displacement, average squared displacement, or mean square fluctuation) is a measure of the deviation of the position of a particle with respect to a reference position over time. It is the most common measure of the spatial extent of random motion, and can be ...
Variance is a measure of dispersion, meaning it is a measure of how far a set of numbers is spread out from their average value. It is the second central moment of a distribution, and the covariance of the random variable with itself, and it is often represented by , , , , or . [1]
Since entropy is a state function, the entropy change of the system for an irreversible path is the same as for a reversible path between the same two states. However, the heat transferred to or from, and the entropy change of, the surroundings is different. We can only obtain the change of entropy by integrating the above formula.
e. 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 ). The notation is such that the equation.