Calculus – Vector calculus – Vector fields

A vector field is a function that assigns a vector to each point of its domain. This vector might represent a force (gravity for instance) or a velocity of a fluid or a gas flow. Another example of a vector field is a magnetic field.

Some examples from daily life:

1) Weather forecast
In weather forecasts one shows the wind flow (for instance), which can be seen as a vector field being the velocity of the wind flow. See for instance this example:

2) Magnetic field
A visualization of magnetic fields can be seen here:

Another example is the dynamic solar magnetic field demonstrated here:

3) Air flow
The velocity of the air flow across the wing of an air plane is another example of a vector field that is demonstrated here:

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Last modified on October 7, 2021