Vector calculus identitiesThe following are important identities involving derivatives and integrals in vector calculus. Gradient For a function in three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate variables, the gradient is the vector field: where i, j, k are the standard unit vectors for the x, y, z-axes. More generally, for a function of n variables , also called a scalar field, the gradient is the vector field: where are orthogonal unit vectors in arbitrary directions. As the name implies, the gradient is proportional to and points in the direction of the function's most rapid (positive) change.
Functional analysisFunctional analysis is a branch of mathematical analysis, the core of which is formed by the study of vector spaces endowed with some kind of limit-related structure (for example, inner product, norm, or topology) and the linear functions defined on these spaces and suitably respecting these structures. The historical roots of functional analysis lie in the study of spaces of functions and the formulation of properties of transformations of functions such as the Fourier transform as transformations defining, for example, continuous or unitary operators between function spaces.
Circle groupIn mathematics, the circle group, denoted by or , is the multiplicative group of all complex numbers with absolute value 1, that is, the unit circle in the complex plane or simply the unit complex numbers The circle group forms a subgroup of , the multiplicative group of all nonzero complex numbers. Since is abelian, it follows that is as well. A unit complex number in the circle group represents a rotation of the complex plane about the origin and can be parametrized by the angle measure : This is the exponential map for the circle group.
Curl (mathematics)In vector calculus, the curl, also known as rotor, is a vector operator that describes the infinitesimal circulation of a vector field in three-dimensional Euclidean space. The curl at a point in the field is represented by a vector whose length and direction denote the magnitude and axis of the maximum circulation. The curl of a field is formally defined as the circulation density at each point of the field. A vector field whose curl is zero is called irrotational. The curl is a form of differentiation for vector fields.
Absorbing setIn functional analysis and related areas of mathematics an absorbing set in a vector space is a set which can be "inflated" or "scaled up" to eventually always include any given point of the vector space. Alternative terms are radial or absorbent set. Every neighborhood of the origin in every topological vector space is an absorbing subset.
Liouville's theorem (conformal mappings)In mathematics, Liouville's theorem, proved by Joseph Liouville in 1850, is a rigidity theorem about conformal mappings in Euclidean space. It states that any smooth conformal mapping on a domain of Rn, where n > 2, can be expressed as a composition of translations, similarities, orthogonal transformations and inversions: they are Möbius transformations (in n dimensions). This theorem severely limits the variety of possible conformal mappings in R3 and higher-dimensional spaces.
PseudovectorIn physics and mathematics, a pseudovector (or axial vector) is a quantity that behaves like a vector in many situations, but its direction does not conform when the object is rigidly transformed by rotation, translation, reflection, etc. This can also happen when the orientation of the space is changed. For example, the angular momentum is a pseudovector because it is often described as a vector, but by just changing the position of reference (and changing the position vector), angular momentum can reverse direction, which is not supposed to happen with true vectors.
BispinorIn physics, and specifically in quantum field theory, a bispinor is a mathematical construction that is used to describe some of the fundamental particles of nature, including quarks and electrons. It is a specific embodiment of a spinor, specifically constructed so that it is consistent with the requirements of special relativity. Bispinors transform in a certain "spinorial" fashion under the action of the Lorentz group, which describes the symmetries of Minkowski spacetime.
Branch pointIn the mathematical field of complex analysis, a branch point of a multi-valued function (usually referred to as a "multifunction" in the context of complex analysis) is a point such that if the function is n-valued (has n values) at that point, all of its neighborhoods contain a point that has more than n values. Multi-valued functions are rigorously studied using Riemann surfaces, and the formal definition of branch points employs this concept.
Green's identitiesIn mathematics, Green's identities are a set of three identities in vector calculus relating the bulk with the boundary of a region on which differential operators act. They are named after the mathematician George Green, who discovered Green's theorem. This identity is derived from the divergence theorem applied to the vector field F = ψ ∇φ while using an extension of the product rule that ∇ ⋅ (ψ X ) = ∇ψ ⋅X + ψ ∇⋅X: Let φ and ψ be scalar functions defined on some region U ⊂ Rd, and suppose that φ is twice continuously differentiable, and ψ is once continuously differentiable.
