Definition:Gradient Operator/Real Cartesian Space

Definition
Let $\R^n$ denote the real Cartesian space of $n$ dimensions.

Let $\map f {x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_n}$ denote a real-valued function on $\R^n$.

Let $\tuple {\mathbf e_1, \mathbf e_2, \ldots, \mathbf e_n}$ be the standard ordered basis on $\R^n$.

Let $\mathbf u = u_1 \mathbf e_1 + u_2 \mathbf e_2 + \cdots + u_n \mathbf e_n = \displaystyle \sum_{k \mathop = 1}^n u_k \mathbf e_k$ be a vector in $\R^n$.

Let the partial derivative of $f$ with respect to $u_k$ exist for all $u_k$.

The gradient of $f$ (at $\mathbf u$) is defined as:

In $3$ dimensions with the standard ordered basis $\tuple {\mathbf i, \mathbf j, \mathbf k}$, this is usually rendered:

for a vector $\mathbf u = x \mathbf i + y \mathbf j + z \mathbf k$.

On a Region
Let $S \subseteq \R^n$.

Let $\sqbrk {X \to Y}$ be the space of functions from $X$ to $Y$.

Suppose that for all $\mathbf x \in S$, $\map {\nabla f} {\mathbf x}$ exists.

The gradient can then be defined as an operation acting on $f$:


 * $\nabla: \mathbf F \to \sqbrk {S \to \R^n}$
 * $\paren {f: \mathbf x \mapsto \map f {\mathbf x} } \mapsto \paren {\nabla f: \mathbf x \mapsto \map {\nabla f} {\mathbf x} }$

where:


 * $\mathbf F = \set {f \in \sqbrk {S \to \R}: \nabla f \text{ is defined} }$

That is:

Also see

 * Definition:Directional Derivative