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A triangle or squared nabla, summing second derivatives.
Also known as: Laplace operator, Delta operator, Del squared
The Laplacian sums the second derivatives in every direction and measures how much a quantity at a point differs from the average around it. It is written as a triangle or as a squared nabla, and the triangle collides with the increment delta used elsewhere on the same page.
Denotes the sum of the unmixed second partial derivatives, measuring the departure of a value from its local average.
Contexts: Mathematics
Is written either as an upward triangle or as the nabla operator squared, both in common use.
Contexts: Mathematics
Shares the triangle with the increment delta of elementary calculus, a different quantity that appears in the same equations.
Contexts: Mathematics
An upward-pointing triangle with equal sides, or a downward-pointing triangle with a small raised numeral two after it.
The squared nabla is one of the two ways this operator is written.