Exercise · ZW-DIVERGENCE-001 · ★☆☆ Basic
Compute \(\operatorname{div}\mathbf F\) for \(\mathbf F=\langle x^2,\,y^2,\,z^2\rangle\).
Choose one option.
A \(2x+2y+2z\) B \(x^2+y^2+z^2\) C \(\langle 2x,\,2y,\,2z\rangle\) D \(8xyz\)
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Explanation Differentiate each component with respect to its own variable and add: \(2x+2y+2z\). The result is a scalar, not a vector.
The divergence of a vector field \(\mathbf F=\langle P,Q,R\rangle\) is the scalar field that measures, at each point, how much the flow of the field expands or compresses.
\[\operatorname{div}\mathbf F=\nabla\cdot\mathbf F=\frac{\partial P}{\partial x}+\frac{\partial Q}{\partial y}+\frac{\partial R}{\partial z}\]
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