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'''Curl''' measures the spin of a [[Calculus/VectorField|vector field]]. '''Curl''' measures the circulation density of a [[Calculus/VectorField|vector field]].
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The curl of a [[Calculus/VectorField|vector field]] given as ''F = <P(x,y), Q(x,y)>'' is calculated as: Curl refers to how much rotation there is in a [[Calculus/VectorField|vector field]]. It is measured using [[Calculus/Derivative|differentiation]].

For a vector field
given as ''F = <P(x,y), Q(x,y)>'', it is calculated as:
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where ''Q,,x,, = ∂Q/∂x'' and ''P,,y,, = ∂P/∂y''.

For an ''F'' given as ''<P(x,y,z), Q(x,y,z), R(x,y,z)>'', it is calculated as:
For a vector field given as ''F = <P,Q,R>'', it is calculated as:
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where ''P,,z,, = ∂P/∂z'', ''Q,,z,, = ∂Q/∂z'', ''R,,x,, = ∂R/∂x'', and ''R,,y,, = ∂R/∂y''.
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An '''irrotational''' [[Calculus/VectorField|vector field]] has zero curl.

Curl

Curl measures the circulation density of a vector field.


Description

Curl refers to how much rotation there is in a vector field. It is measured using differentiation.

For a vector field given as F = <P(x,y), Q(x,y)>, it is calculated as:

curl1.svg

For a vector field given as F = <P,Q,R>, it is calculated as:

curl2.svg

Note that curl returns a new vector field. Generally this vector field is then evaluated at a given point.

Properties

An irrotational vector field has zero curl.

The curl of a conservative vector field is always 0.


CategoryRicottone

Calculus/Curl (last edited 2025-12-11 16:50:55 by DominicRicottone)