Talk:Divergence

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[edit] Non-general definition

The definition of divergence, it seems to me, should be defined for any amount of variables. Am I wrong in this, or can a four variable function have a divergence as well? Fresheneesz 20:48, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

The divergence is of course defined in any dimension. But it makes most sense in 3D only, as ther it behaves nicely with the curl, and has a physical interpretation. I will now add a mention of the general case. I would be opposed to rewriting this article from the n-dimenional perspective, as a lot of the physics would be lost, I think. Oleg Alexandrov (talk) 02:59, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Initial example

The example of water in a bathtub can be confusing. Water does not 'vanish', and the divergence of water flow is in fact very close to zero. I've changed this to air expanding which is a better example. PCM —This unsigned comment is by Paul Matthews (talk • contribs) .

On further reflection, I think you are right. Oleg Alexandrov (talk) 02:09, 15 March 2006 (UTC)