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---
title: "Material derivative"
sort_title: "Material derivative"
date: 2021-03-30
categories:
- Physics
- Fluid mechanics
- Fluid dynamics
- Continuum physics
layout: "concept"
---
Inside a fluid (or any other continuum), we might be interested in
the time evolution of a certain intensive quantity $$f$$,
e.g. the temperature or pressure,
represented by a scalar field $$f(\va{r}, t)$$.
If the fluid is static, the evolution of $$f$$ is simply $$\ipdv{f}{t}$$,
since each point is motionless.
However, if the fluid is moving, we have a problem:
the fluid molecules at position $$\va{r} = \va{r}_0$$ are not
the same ones at time $$t = t_0$$ and $$t = t_1$$.
Those molecules take $$f$$ with them as they move,
so we need to account for this transport somehow.
To do so, we choose an infinitesimal "blob" or **parcel** of the fluid,
which always contains the same specific molecules,
and track its position $$\va{r}(t)$$ through time as it moves and deforms.
The value of $$f$$ for this parcel is then given by:
$$\begin{aligned}
f(\va{r}, t)
= f(\va{r}(t), t)
= f\big(x(t), y(t), z(t), t\big)
\end{aligned}$$
In effect, we have simply made the coordinate $$\va{r}$$ dependent on time,
and have specifically chosen the time-dependence to track the parcel.
The net evolution of $$f$$ is then its "true" (i.e. non-partial) derivative with respect to $$t$$,
allowing us to apply the chain rule:
$$\begin{aligned}
\dv{}{t}f\big(x(t), y(t), z(t), t\big)
&= \pdv{f}{t} + \pdv{f}{x} \dv{x}{t} + \pdv{f}{y} \dv{y}{t} + \pdv{f}{z} \dv{z}{t}
\\
&= \pdv{f}{t} + v_x \pdv{f}{x} + v_y \pdv{f}{y} + v_z \pdv{f}{z}
\end{aligned}$$
Where $$v_x$$, $$v_y$$ and $$v_z$$ are the parcel's velocity components.
Let $$\va{v} = (v_x, v_y, v_z)$$ be the velocity vector field,
then we can rewrite this expression like so:
$$\begin{aligned}
\dv{}{t}f\big(x(t), y(t), z(t), t\big)
&= \pdv{f}{t} + (\va{v} \cdot \nabla) f
\end{aligned}$$
Note that $$\va{v} = \va{v}(\va{r}, t)$$,
that is, the velocity can change with time ($$t$$-dependence),
and depends on which parcel we track ($$\va{r}$$-dependence).
Of course, the parcel is in our imagination:
$$\va{r}$$ does not really depend on $$t$$;
after all, we are dealing with a continuum.
Nevertheless, the right-hand side of the equation is very useful,
and is known as the **material derivative** or **comoving derivative**:
$$\begin{aligned}
\boxed{
\frac{\mathrm{D}f}{\mathrm{D}t}
\equiv \pdv{f}{t} + (\va{v} \cdot \nabla) f
}
\end{aligned}$$
The first term is called the **local rate of change**,
and the second is the **advective rate of change**.
In effect, the latter moves the frame of reference along with the material,
so that we can find the evolution of $$f$$
without needing to worry about the continuum's motion.
That was for a scalar field $$f(\va{r}, t)$$,
but in fact the definition also works for vector fields $$\va{U}(\va{r}, t)$$:
$$\begin{aligned}
\boxed{
\frac{\mathrm{D} \va{U}}{\mathrm{D}t}
\equiv \pdv{\va{U}}{t} + (\va{v} \cdot \nabla) \va{U}
}
\end{aligned}$$
To evaluate this in various coordinate systems,
see [orthogonal curvilinear coordinates](/know/concept/orthogonal-curvilinear-coordinates/).
## References
1. B. Lautrup,
*Physics of continuous matter: exotic and everyday phenomena in the macroscopic world*, 2nd edition,
CRC Press.
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