What meaning is divergence and curl?

[HeilPhysicsPhysics]

What does a divergence calculate?
What meaning is it for a vector?
And also what is curl?

Why we have to definte divergence and curl?

 

[HeilPhysicsPhysics]

What meaning is divergence and curl in physics?

 

[inha]

Do a search here. This has been discussed atleast a few times in the classical physics forum.

 

[Meir Achuz]

What meaning is divergence and curl in physics?

In simple terms, the divergence of a vector field is its rate of increase in the direction of the vector. The curl is the rate of increase perpendiclar to the vector.