Tensor field

Definition

In mathematics and physics, a tensor field is a function assigning a tensor to each point of a region of a mathematical space or of the physical space. Tensor fields are used in differential geometry, algebraic geometry, general relativity, in the analysis of stress and strain in material object, and in numerous applications in the physical sciences. As a tensor is a generalization of a scalar and a vector, a tensor field is a generalization of a scalar field and a vector field that assigns, respectively, a scalar or vector to each point of space. If a tensor A is defined on a vector fields set X(M) over a module M, we call A a tensor field on M. A tensor field, in common usage, is often referred to in the shorter form "tensor". For example, the Riemann curvature tensor refers a tensor field, as it associates a tensor to each point of a Riemannian manifold, a topological space.

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