Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!samsung!munnari.oz.au!uhccux!jmu
From: jmu@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (James Unger)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: Can someone tell me what NABLA means?
Message-ID: <9047@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu>
Date: 18 Aug 90 03:14:51 GMT
References: <993@barsoom.nhh.no>
Reply-To: jmu@uhccux.UUCP (James Unger)
Distribution: comp
Organization: University of Hawaii
Lines: 7


	I believe that nabla is the Hebrew word for a lyre, which looked
roughly triangular and was held apex downward.  In vector analysis texts,
nabla is typographically an inverted Greek upper-case delta--you can tell
because of the different thicknesses of the three sides of the triangle.
The Laplacian operator, which also pops up in vector analysis, looks like
u.c. delta, but has equally thin lines on all three sides.