What is the Physical Relevance of Laplace's Equation?

[snoopies622]

A scalar "harmonic" function f is one that satisfies

<br /> <br /> \nabla ^2 f = 0<br /> <br />

What is the physical meaning or relevance of this?

 

[snoopies622]

In other words, if an observed field is harmonic, why does that matter? What is the physical implication? That it is conservative? incompressible? laminar?

 

[Andy Resnick]

This may help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_theory

 

[snoopies622]

Thanks. I will look into that.