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Laplace Equation
Laplaces equation is a second order partial differential equation1 of potential theory. It is most often written as

where is the Laplace operator2. Solutions of Laplaces equation are often called harmonic functions. Laplaces Equation is a special case of Poissons equation 3; the latter tends to apply to domains that include sources whereas Laplaces equation is generally applicable in regions where there is no source. Laplaces equation has a wide range of applications: steady-state heat conduction4, electrostatics5, groundwater flow6, gravitation7 and ideal fluid flow8. Although the Laplace equation can be theoretically of any number of dimensions, in applied mathematics, it is of interest mainly in three dimensions or two dimensions. In two dimensions the Laplace equation has the we have:

and in three dimension,

Laplaces equation on its own has many solutions. For example and are solutions of the two-dimensional Laplace equation and and are solutions of the three-dimensional Laplace equation. If Laplaces equation models a physical reality then it must have a unique solution. In a real-world problem, Laplaces equation governs a region, which is demarcated by a boundary or boundaries, although Laplaces equation can also be solved in the two- or three- dimensional free-space. The information on the boundary is called the boundary condition and the problem of solving Laplaces equation subject to a boundary condition is an example of a mathematical problem called a boundary value problem9.

Partial Differential Equations Laplace Operator or Laplacian 3 Poissons Equation 4 Heat Conduction Model as a Partial Differential Equation 5 Electrostatics Model as a Partial Differential Equation 6 Groundwater Flow Model as a Partial Differential Equation 7 Gravitation Model as a Partial Differential Equation 8 Ideal Fluid Flow Model as a Partial Differential Equation 9 Boundary Value Problems and Boundary Conditions
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