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Concept
Directional derivative
Summary
A directional derivative is a concept in multivariable calculus that measures the rate at which a function changes in a particular direction at a given point.
The directional derivative of a multivariable differentiable (scalar) function along a given vector v at a given point x intuitively represents the instantaneous rate of change of the function, moving through x with a velocity specified by v.
The directional derivative of a scalar function f with respect to a vector v at a point (e.g., position) x may be denoted by any of the following:
\nabla_{\mathbf{v}}{f}(\mathbf{x})=f'\mathbf{v}(\mathbf{x})=D\mathbf{v}f(\mathbf{x})=Df(\mathbf{x})(\mathbf{v})=\partial_\mathbf{v}f(\mathbf{x})=\mathbf{v}\cdot{\nabla f(\mathbf{x})}=\mathbf{v}\cdot \frac{\partial f(\mathbf{x})}{\partial\mathbf{x}}.
It therefore generalizes the notion of a partial derivative, in which the rate of change is taken along one of the curvilinear coordinate curves, all other coordin
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