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Advanced. Specialized. Miscellaneous. v. t. e. A directional derivative is a concept in multivariable calculus that measures the rate at which a function changes in a particular direction at a given point. [citation needed] The directional derivative of a multivariable differentiable (scalar) function along a given vector v at a given point x ...
Functional derivative. In the calculus of variations, a field of mathematical analysis, the functional derivative (or variational derivative) [1] relates a change in a functional (a functional in this sense is a function that acts on functions) to a change in a function on which the functional depends. In the calculus of variations, functionals ...
In the mathematical field of differential topology, the Lie bracket of vector fields, also known as the Jacobi–Lie bracket or the commutator of vector fields, is an operator that assigns to any two vector fields X and Y on a smooth manifold M a third vector field denoted [X, Y] . Conceptually, the Lie bracket [X, Y] is the derivative of Y ...
Table with the del operator in cartesian, cylindrical and spherical coordinates. Operation. Cartesian coordinates (x, y, z) Cylindrical coordinates (ρ, φ, z) Spherical coordinates (r, θ, φ), where θ is the polar angle and φ is the azimuthal angle α. Vector field A.
In vector calculus, divergence is a vector operator that operates on a vector field, producing a scalar field giving the quantity of the vector field's source at each point. More technically, the divergence represents the volume density of the outward flux of a vector field from an infinitesimal volume around a given point.
The simplest way for writing the chain rule in the general case is to use the total derivative, which is a linear transformation that captures all directional derivatives in a single formula.
Numerical differentiation. In numerical analysis, numerical differentiation algorithms estimate the derivative of a mathematical function or function subroutine using values of the function and perhaps other knowledge about the function.
Motivation. The covariant derivative is a generalization of the directional derivative from vector calculus. As with the directional derivative, the covariant derivative is a rule, , which takes as its inputs: (1) a vector, u, defined at a point P, and (2) a vector field v defined in a neighborhood of P. [7] The output is the vector , also at ...