Divergence

In vector calculus, divergence is an operator that measures the net rate at which a vector field flows outward from an infinitesimal region around a point, producing a scalar value at every point in the field. A positive divergence indicates the point behaves like a source, spreading the field outward, while a negative divergence indicates a sink where the field converges. It is computed as the dot product of the del operator with the vector field, and it is central to the divergence theorem, which relates the flux through a closed surface to the divergence within the enclosed volume. Divergence appears throughout physics in describing fluid flow, electric fields and other continuous vector quantities.