In mathematics and physics, a tensor field assigns a tensor to each point of a mathematical space (typically a Euclidean space or manifold). Tensor fields are used in differential geometry, algebraic geometry, general relativity, in the analysis of stress and strain in materials, and in numerous applications in the physical sciences. As a tensor is a generalization of a scalar (a pure number representing a value, for example speed) and a vector (a pure number plus a direction, like velocity), a tensor field is a generalization of a scalar field or vector field that assigns, respectively, a scalar or vector to each point of space.
Many mathematical structures called "tensors" are tensor fields. For example, the Riemann curvature tensor is not a tensor, as the name implies, but a tensor field: It is named after Bernhard Riemann, and associates a tensor to each point of a Riemannian manifold, which is a topological space.