Calc3: Vector Fields

Vector Fields

Definition

A vector field on $R^3$ with domain as D is a function $\vec{F}$ that assign to each point within D a vector $\vec{F}(x,y,z)$. We often write it as $<P(x,y,z),Q(x,y,z),R(x,y,z)>$ where P, Q, and R are scaler-valued functions.

Use Gravitation as an example.
$$\begin{gathered} |\vec{F}|=\frac{GmM}{r^2} \\ \vec{F}(x,y,z)=\frac{GmM}{(x^2+y^2+z^2{)}^{\frac{3}{2}}}(x,y,z) \end{gathered}$$

Conservative Fields

A special kind of vector fields is called gradient fields. If f is a scalar function of three variables, its gradient $\nabla f=(f_x,f_y,f_z)$. $\nabla f$ is called a gradient vector field.

$\vec{F}$ is called a conservative vector field if it is the gradient of some scaler function. That is, there exists f s.t. $\vec{F}=\nabla f$.

Line Integrals

Definition

Also called path integrals. Line integrals are generalizations of single integral.

A planar curve C with parametrization of $x=x(t),y=y(t)$ and the height function $f(x,y)$. Cut C into small pieces, and pretend each small piece is a line segment. We used $\Delta s_i=\sqrt{|x^{\prime }(t_i){|}^2+|y^{\prime }(t_i){|}^2}(t_{i+1}-t_i)$ to denote the length of the curve from $t_i$ to $t_{i+1}$. Sum them up, we can get
$$\begin{gathered} {\int }_{C}f(x,y)dS=lim\sum _{i}f(x(t_i),y(t_i))\sqrt{|x^{\prime }(t_i){|}^2+|y^{\prime }(t_i){|}^2}\Delta t_i \\ =\sum _{i}F(t_i)\Delta t_i \\ ={\int }_a^{b}F(t)dt \\ ={\int }_a^{b}f(x(t),y(t))\sqrt{|x^{\prime }(t){|}^2+|y^{\prime }(t){|}^2}dt \end{gathered}$$
E.x.

Evaluate ${\int }_C(2+x^{2}y)dS$ where C is the unit circle above x-axis.

sol:

First, parametrize C as $(cos\theta ,sin\theta )$, $0\le \theta \le \pi$. Other valid parametrization also works.
$$\begin{gathered} {\int }_C(2+x^{2}y)dS={\int }_0^{\pi }(2+co{s}^2\theta sin\theta \sqrt{|x^{\prime }(\theta ){|}^2+|y^{\prime }(\theta ){|}^2})d\theta \\ ={\int }_0^{\pi }(2+co{s}^2\theta sin\theta )d\theta \end{gathered}$$
E.x.

Evaluate ${\int }_{C}2xdS$ where C contains C1 and C2. C1 is $y=x^2$. C2 is $y=x^3$.

sol:

Integrate two parts separately and add them up.

E.x.

Compute mass. We have density function $\rho (x,y)=1-y$. Evaluate ${\int }_C\rho dS$ where C is the unit circle above x-axis.

sol:

First, parametrize C as $(cos\theta ,sin\theta )$, $0\le \theta \le \pi$.
$${\int }_C\rho dS$$

Orientation

Line integrals with respect to x and y.
$$\begin{gathered} {\int }_{C}f(x,y)dx={\int }_a^{b}f(x(t),y(t))x^{\prime }(t)dt \\ {\int }_{C}f(x,y)dy={\int }_a^{b}f(x(t),y(t))y^{\prime }(t)dt \end{gathered}$$
For $C=(x(t),y(t))$, $a\le t\le b$ and $C^{\prime }=(x(-t),y(-t))$, $-b\le t\le -a$. It is easy to find that
$$\begin{gathered} {\int }_{C}f(x,y)dy={\int }_a^{b}f(x(t),y(t))y^{\prime }(t)dt \\ {\int }_{C^{\prime }}f(x,y)dy={\int }_{-b}^{-a}f(x(-t),y(-t))y^{\prime }(-t)dt \\ =-{\int }_a^{b}f(x(t),y(t))y^{\prime }(t)dt \end{gathered}$$
This is due to different orientation.

Line Integral of Vector Fields

Assume a gradient field.
$$\begin{gathered} {\int }_C\vec{F}d\vec{r}={\int }_a^b\vec{F}(\vec{r}(t)){\vec{r}}^{\prime }(t)dt \\ ={\int }_a^b\vec{F}(x(t),y(t))\cdot (x^{\prime }(t),y^{\prime }(t))dt \end{gathered}$$
E.x.

Find the work done by the force field $\vec{F}(x,y)=(x^2,-xy)$ where C is the unit circle in the first quadrant travelling from the x-axis.

sol:
$$\begin{gathered} \vec{r}(t)=(cost,sint),0\le t\le \pi /2 \\ {\int }_a^b\vec{F}(\vec{r}(t)){\vec{r}}^{\prime }(t)dt \\ ={\int }_0^{\pi /2}(co{s}^{2}t,-sintcost)\cdot (-sint,cost)dt \\ ={\int }_0^{\pi /2}-2co{s}^2(t)sin(t)dt \end{gathered}$$

Connections of Different Line Integrals

$$\begin{gathered} \vec{F}(x,y)=(P(x,y),Q(x,y)) \\ \vec{r}(t)=(x(t),y(t)),a\le t\le b \\ {\int }_C\vec{F}d\vec{r}={\int }_a^b\vec{F}(\vec{r}(t)){\vec{r}}^{\prime }(t)dt \\ ={\int }_a^b[P(x(t),y(t))\cdot x^{\prime }(t)+Q(x(t),y(t))\cdot y^{\prime }(t)]dt \\ ={\int }_{C}Pdx+{\int }_{C}Qdy \end{gathered}$$

The Fundamental Theorem for Line Integrals

The Fundamental Theorem

Suppose f is a function of two variable, then we have following theorem.

C is continuously differentiable, $\vec{r}(t)\ne 0$;

f is continuously differentiable, and ${\int }_C\nabla fd\vec{r}=f(\vec{r}(b))-f(\vec{r}(a))$;

Proof
$${\int }_C\nabla fd\vec{r}={\int }_a^b$$