Vector calculusVector calculus, or vector analysis, is concerned with differentiation and integration of vector fields, primarily in 3-dimensional Euclidean space The term "vector calculus" is sometimes used as a synonym for the broader subject of multivariable calculus, which spans vector calculus as well as partial differentiation and multiple integration. Vector calculus plays an important role in differential geometry and in the study of partial differential equations.
Orthogonal transformationIn linear algebra, an orthogonal transformation is a linear transformation T : V → V on a real inner product space V, that preserves the inner product. That is, for each pair u, v of elements of V, we have Since the lengths of vectors and the angles between them are defined through the inner product, orthogonal transformations preserve lengths of vectors and angles between them. In particular, orthogonal transformations map orthonormal bases to orthonormal bases. Orthogonal transformations are injective: if then , hence , so the kernel of is trivial.
Ordered vector spaceIn mathematics, an ordered vector space or partially ordered vector space is a vector space equipped with a partial order that is compatible with the vector space operations. Given a vector space over the real numbers and a preorder on the set the pair is called a preordered vector space and we say that the preorder is compatible with the vector space structure of and call a vector preorder on if for all and with the following two axioms are satisfied implies implies If is a partial order compatible with the vector space structure of then is called an ordered vector space and is called a vector partial order on The two axioms imply that translations and positive homotheties are automorphisms of the order structure and the mapping is an isomorphism to the dual order structure.
Map projectionIn cartography, a map projection is any of a broad set of transformations employed to represent the curved two-dimensional surface of a globe on a plane. In a map projection, coordinates, often expressed as latitude and longitude, of locations from the surface of the globe are transformed to coordinates on a plane. Projection is a necessary step in creating a two-dimensional map and is one of the essential elements of cartography. All projections of a sphere on a plane necessarily distort the surface in some way and to some extent.
Triple productIn geometry and algebra, the triple product is a product of three 3-dimensional vectors, usually Euclidean vectors. The name "triple product" is used for two different products, the scalar-valued scalar triple product and, less often, the vector-valued vector triple product. The scalar triple product (also called the mixed product, box product, or triple scalar product) is defined as the dot product of one of the vectors with the cross product of the other two.
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.
Scalar (mathematics)A scalar is an element of a field which is used to define a vector space. In linear algebra, real numbers or generally elements of a field are called scalars and relate to vectors in an associated vector space through the operation of scalar multiplication (defined in the vector space), in which a vector can be multiplied by a scalar in the defined way to produce another vector. Generally speaking, a vector space may be defined by using any field instead of real numbers (such as complex numbers).
Complete topological vector spaceIn functional analysis and related areas of mathematics, a complete topological vector space is a topological vector space (TVS) with the property that whenever points get progressively closer to each other, then there exists some point towards which they all get closer. The notion of "points that get progressively closer" is made rigorous by or , which are generalizations of , while "point towards which they all get closer" means that this Cauchy net or filter converges to The notion of completeness for TVSs uses the theory of uniform spaces as a framework to generalize the notion of completeness for metric spaces.
Product (mathematics)In mathematics, a product is the result of multiplication, or an expression that identifies objects (numbers or variables) to be multiplied, called factors. For example, 21 is the product of 3 and 7 (the result of multiplication), and is the product of and (indicating that the two factors should be multiplied together). When one factor is an integer, the product is called a multiple. The order in which real or complex numbers are multiplied has no bearing on the product; this is known as the commutative law of multiplication.
Metrizable topological vector spaceIn functional analysis and related areas of mathematics, a metrizable (resp. pseudometrizable) topological vector space (TVS) is a TVS whose topology is induced by a metric (resp. pseudometric). An LM-space is an inductive limit of a sequence of locally convex metrizable TVS.
Mercator projectionThe Mercator projection (mərˈkeɪtər) is a cylindrical map projection presented by Flemish geographer and cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It became the standard map projection for navigation because it is unique in representing north as up and south as down everywhere while preserving local directions and shapes. The map is thereby conformal. As a side effect, the Mercator projection inflates the size of objects away from the equator. This inflation is very small near the equator but accelerates with increasing latitude to become infinite at the poles.
Multivariable calculusMultivariable calculus (also known as multivariate calculus) is the extension of calculus in one variable to calculus with functions of several variables: the differentiation and integration of functions involving multiple variables (multivariate), rather than just one. Multivariable calculus may be thought of as an elementary part of advanced calculus. For advanced calculus, see calculus on Euclidean space. The special case of calculus in three dimensional space is often called vector calculus.
