Poisson's equation

In mathematics, Poisson's equation is a partial differential equation of elliptic type with broad utility in mechanical engineering and theoretical physics.

Description

It arises, for instance, to describe the potential field caused by a given charge or mass density distribution; with the potential field known, one can than calculate the associated gravitational or electrostatic field.

It is a generalization of Laplace's equation, which is also frequently seen in physics.

The equation is named after the French mathematician, geometer, and physicist Siméon Denis Poisson.

See also

• Discrete Poisson equation
• Poisson–Boltzmann equation
• Uniqueness theorem for Poisson's equation

External links

• [Poisson's equation Poisson's equation] @ Wikipedia