The Laplacian is a mathematical operator used in various fields, including physics and engineering. It helps describe how a quantity changes in space. For example, in heat conduction, the Laplacian can show how heat spreads through a material. It is often represented by the symbol ∆ and is calculated using the second derivatives of a function. In image processing, the Laplacian is used to detect edges in images. By applying the Laplacian operator, we can highlight areas where there are rapid changes in intensity, making it easier to identify shapes and boundaries. This technique is essential in computer vision and graphics.