Del in cylindrical and spherical coordinates

Del in cylindrical and spherical coordinates is a mathematical operator that is used to measure the total rate of change in a 3-dimensional space. In cylindrical coordinates, the del operator comes from the combination of del in the x, y, and z directions. For example, del in x direction is '∂/∂x'. In spherical coordinates, del starts with '∇' and then you look at the different components of spherical coordinates (radius 'r', polar angle 'θ' and azimuthal angle 'φ'). For example, del in the radius direction is written as '∇r' and so on. To understand del, think of it like a hose. If you are standing in one spot and spraying water in a circle with the hose, del is like measuring how the flow of the water changes as the circle gets bigger and bigger. Basically, del measures how quickly something is changing in every direction as you move around in 3 dimensions.