Definition:Curl Operator

Definition
Let $\map {\R^3} {x, y, z}$ denote the real Cartesian space of $3$ dimensions..

Let $\tuple {\mathbf i, \mathbf j, \mathbf k}$ be the standard ordered basis on $\R^3$.

Let $\mathbf f := \tuple {\map {f_x} {\mathbf x}, \map {f_y} {\mathbf x}, \map {f_z} {\mathbf x} }: \R^3 \to \R^3$ be a vector-valued function on $\R^3$.

The curl of $\mathbf f$ is defined as:

Thus the curl is a vector in $\R^3$.

Also see

 * Gradient Operator
 * Divergence Operator