I How is rotation related to the curl of a vector field?

  • I
  • Thread starter Thread starter Apashanka
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Curl Vector
AI Thread Summary
The curl of a vector field indicates the presence of rotation, with a zero curl signifying that the field is irrotational. This relationship is illustrated through Stokes' theorem, which connects curl to line integrals around a point; a non-zero integral indicates rotation. A practical analogy involves a paddlewheel placed at a point in the field—if it spins, rotation is present. It is important to note that a single vector cannot possess a curl; the concept applies exclusively to vector fields. Understanding these principles is crucial for grasping the dynamics of vector calculus.
Apashanka
Messages
427
Reaction score
15
If the curl of a vector is 0 e,g ##\vec \nabla×\vec A=0## the vector A is said to be irrotational,can anyone please tell how rotation is involved with ##curl## of a vector??
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
Point of order: A vector by itself cannot have a curl. The concept makes no sense. All differential operators you will encounter in vector analysis involve fields. In the case of the curl, a vector field.
 
  • Like
Likes jedishrfu
Thread 'Video on imaginary numbers and some queries'
Hi, I was watching the following video. I found some points confusing. Could you please help me to understand the gaps? Thanks, in advance! Question 1: Around 4:22, the video says the following. So for those mathematicians, negative numbers didn't exist. You could subtract, that is find the difference between two positive quantities, but you couldn't have a negative answer or negative coefficients. Mathematicians were so averse to negative numbers that there was no single quadratic...
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta. The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/what-exactly-is-diracs-delta-function/ by...
Thread 'Unit Circle Double Angle Derivations'
Here I made a terrible mistake of assuming this to be an equilateral triangle and set 2sinx=1 => x=pi/6. Although this did derive the double angle formulas it also led into a terrible mess trying to find all the combinations of sides. I must have been tired and just assumed 6x=180 and 2sinx=1. By that time, I was so mindset that I nearly scolded a person for even saying 90-x. I wonder if this is a case of biased observation that seeks to dis credit me like Jesus of Nazareth since in reality...
Back
Top