In vector calculus a conservative vector field's a vector field which's the gradient of a scalar potential. There're two closely related concepts: path independence and irrotational vector fields. Every conservative vector field has zero curl (and's thus irrotational), and every conservative vector field has the path independence property. In fact, these three properties are equivalent in many 'real-world' applications. A lamellar vector field's a synonym for an irrotational vector field. The ad… (More on Irrotational)