The key property of tensors is that a tensor is always the same in every coordinate system (in a technical sense, we say that a tensor transforms covariantly).įirst of all, what is a tensor anyway? A tensor is simply a “collection of objects” (these objects are its tensor components) whose components transform in a nice, predictable way between coordinate changes, while the tensor itself remains unchanged.Ī nice intuitive way to understand this is by looking at how a vector behaves under coordinate changes (a vector is, in fact, a tensor of “rank 1”): Essentially, tensors are mathematical objects that are used in many areas of physics (in general relativity, for example, because they have some very useful transformation properties) and also in many areas of mathematics (for example, differential geometry).
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