Construct · 1 fields · 1 citations

curl: a standalone construct

One name. One construct. A landmark on the map.

● anchor · a standalone construct Nearest construct by meaningdivergencecompare the meanings
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curl1 CONSTRUCTCurl operatorMAXWELL · CURL OPERATOR

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Vector calculus

The rotation operator on a vector field

In vector calculus the curl is a differential operator, written as del cross the field (∇×), that takes a vector field and returns a new vector field describing how much, and about which axis, the field circulates at each point: it measures the local rotation, or circulation per unit area, of a field of arrows. James Clerk Maxwell's 1869 Remarks on the mathematical classification of physical quantities proposed the name curl for this rotational operator, alongside names such as convergence and slope for the others. The referent is an abstract operation on a mathematical field, giving rotation at a point, not a weight-training movement, a program that moves data, or a coil of hair.[1]

Unit
A vector field derived from another field, giving circulation per unit area at each point
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Computed from the field's partial derivatives, or as the limiting line integral around a shrinking loop divided by its enclosed area, by Stokes' theorem

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Nearby constructs

operator3 fields · 3 citationsjingle · one word, three constructsvector3 fields · 3 citationsjingle · one word, three constructsgradient4 fields · 4 citationsjingle · one word, four constructs

References

  1. Maxwell, J. C. (1869). Remarks on the mathematical classification of physical quantities. Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society, s1-3(1), 224–233. https://doi.org/10.1112/plms/s1-3.1.224

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