I think the nabla is more widespread than a Delta, but they both are
reasonably common.
As to the d'Alembertian, the authorities I like to use simply use the
square without the superscript 2.
In some ways I like the use of the superscript, but I actually tend to
yield to the authorities.
The one's I just looked up were Misner, Thorne & Wheeler and Jackson.
________________________
Joel Rauber
Department of Physics - SDSU
Joel.Rauber@sdstate.edu
605-688-4293
| -----Original Message-----
| From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
| [mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf
| Of Larry Smith
| Sent: Friday, December 08, 2006 4:58 PM
| To: phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
| Subject: [Phys-l] math notation question
|
| How widespread is the use of \Delta instead of \nabla^2 to
| mean the Laplacian operator in 3-D?
|
| In 4-D Minkowski space the Laplacian becomes the
| d'Alembertian. Should the d'Alembertian operator be a square
| with or without a superscript 2? I've seen it both ways.
|
| Thanks,
| Larry
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