It is so called divergence, because it measures the tendency of a vector field to diverge (positive divergence) or converge (negative divergence). In particular, a vector field is said to be incompressible (or solenoidal) if its divergence is zero.
Examples:
→F=(x,y,0), →G=(x,−y,0) and →H=(−x,−y,0), we have
∇⋅→G=1−1=0
∇⋅→F=2
∇⋅→G=−2
The arrows on the plot of →F diverge and on the plot of →H converge.
∇×→F=(∂F3∂y−∂F2∂z)→i+(∂F1∂z−∂F3∂x)→j+(∂F2∂x−∂F1∂y)→k
The curl of a vector measures its tendency to rotate. A vector field is said to be irrotational if its curl is the zero vector.
Examples:
→F=(−y,x,0), →G=(y,x,0) and →H=(y,−x,0), we have
∇×→F=2→k
∇×→G=0
∇×→H=−2→k
The coefficient of k in curl F being positive indicates anticlockwise rotation.
Reference:
http://www.maths.gla.ac.uk/~cc/2A/2A_notes/2A_chap4.pdf
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