Infinitesimal calculus MOC

Circulation (Flow)

Circulation is a measure of the tendency of a Vector field to move around a Manifold (typically 1-dimensional path). That is, it is the tendency of the field to circulate.¹ It is given by

In some cases, the requirement for the path to be closed is dropped, which is also referred to simply as a line integral of a vector field. An example of circulation on a one-dimensional manifold (i.e. a path) is Work.

See Relationship between circulation and curl and Conservative vector field.

Practice problems

• 2016. Calculus, pp. 1125–1127 (§16.2 exercises 17ff.)

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