Since streamlines are tangent to the flow velocity vector of the flow, the value of the stream function must be constant along a streamline. The usefulness of the stream function lies in the fact that the flow velocity components in the x- and y- directions at a given point are given by the partial derivatives of the stream function at that point. A stream function may be defined for any flow of dimensions greater than or equal to two, however the two-dimensional case is generally the easiest to visualize and derive.