cristina89 said:I'm studying Vector Calculus right now, and I'll have a test about Coordinate Transformation soon. But the book my teacher recommended (Mathematical Methods for Physicists - Arfken) is way too hard to understand this subject. Does anyone know any good material about this that I can find on internet?
Thank you.
chiro said:Hey cristina89 and welcome to the forums.
For something more intuitive I would recommend the book "Div, Grad, Curl and all That". If you are at a university I think your library should have this book.
Div, grad, curl, and all that : an informal text on vector calculus / H.M. Schey
Published New York : W.W. Norton, c1992
Not sure if there are newer versions, but this one definitely exists.
Vector Calculus is a branch of mathematics that deals with the study of vector fields, which are mathematical objects that assign a vector to each point in space.
Vector Calculus is important because it provides a powerful tool for solving problems in physics, engineering, and other fields that involve the use of vectors. It also helps in understanding and visualizing complex mathematical concepts.
Some practical applications of Vector Calculus include fluid mechanics, electromagnetics, computer graphics, and optimization problems in economics and finance.
The basic concepts in Vector Calculus include vector operations (such as addition, subtraction, and scalar multiplication), vector fields, line integrals, surface integrals, and gradient, divergence, and curl operations.
Some recommended books for learning Vector Calculus include "Vector Calculus" by Susan Jane Colley, "Calculus, Volume 2: Multi-Variable Calculus and Linear Algebra with Applications" by Tom Apostol, and "Vector Calculus" by Jerrold E. Marsden and Anthony J. Tromba.