The concept of a integral curve is relatively easy to understand as path through a vector field which is tangent to the field at each point.
But why is it called an "integral" curve? It appears to have little to do with integers, or integration.
The concept of a integral curve is relatively easy to understand as path through a vector field which is tangent to the field at each point.
But why is it called an "integral" curve? It appears to have little to do with integers, or integration.
It does somewhat have to do with integration. To find an integral curve, you have to solve a system of ODEs at every point. Let me quote from John Lee, Introduction to Smooth Manifolds, p. 207.