Drawing Vector Fields (Beginner)

Drawing Vector Fields (Beginner)
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I have $f(x,y) = xy$ which has the Gradient Vector Field F$(x,y) = (y,x)$

I believe the correct way to draw individual vectors is to map points into the formula, for example at point $(1,-3)$ we will have a vector $(-3,1)$

However, drawing this Gradient Vector, we get an image like this

This confuses me because in the image, $(1,-3)$ does not have a vector $(-3,1)$ and also, there are no overlapping vectors. Or is this image taking each individual vector and creating these curves? And if I am simply graphing each individual vector, are they allowed to overlap?

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1 Answer

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Notice the scale option is at $0.1$: the vector shown is not $(-3, 1)$, but rather $(-0.3, 0.1)$.

This is probably to make it possible to see what is going on in the image.

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James H. Sterling
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James H. Sterling

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.