Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
A line integral measures the total effect along a curve or path, taking into account both direction and magnitude.
Related terms
Path Independence: A line integral is path-independent if its value remains constant regardless of which path is chosen between two points.
Conservative Vector Field: A vector field is conservative if its line integrals are independent of path.
Gradient Vector Field: The gradient vector field represents how quickly a scalar function changes in space and can be used to calculate line integrals.