Fluid Mechanics

Homework 1
Jimmy Broomfield

Problem 4. Let t Q(t) be a smooth curve in the set of 3 3 matrices with real-valued entries
(defined for t R), with Q(1) = Id . Prove that the following two statements are equivalent.
(i) For each t R, the matrix Q(t) is orthogonal.

(ii) The matrix Q1 (t)Q(t)

is anti-symmetric for each t. (Where Q =

dQ
dt )

Proof. ( = ) Notice that Q(t)Q> (t) = Id . Further,

0=


d
d  >
d  > 

[ Id ] =
Q (t)Q(t) =
Q (t) Q(t) + Q> (t)Q(t)
dt
dt
dt
d  > 

Q (t) Q(t) = Q> (t)Q(t)

dt

Therefore
d  > 
>

[Q1 (t)Q(t)]
= Q > (t)(Q1 (t))> =
Q (t) Q(t) = Q1 (t)Q(t)
dt
( = ) We begin by noting that
Q > (t)(Q1 )> (t) = Q1 (t) Q(t).
Hence

Q(t)Q > (t)(Q> )1 (t) = Q(t).

Therefore

d 
>

Q(t)Q> (t) = Q(t)Q

(t) + Q(t)Q > (t)
dt

= Q(t)Q > (t)(Q1 )> (t)Q> + Q(t)Q(t)

= Q(t)Q > (t) + Q(t)Q > (t)
=0
Since Q(1)Q> (1) = Id , we see that Q(t)Q> (t) = Id for all t.

Math 8431 - Fluid Mechanics

Problem 5.

Jimmy Broomfield

Let u be a smooth velocity field in R3 . Assume that the deformation tensor



1 ui
uj
ij =
+
2 xj
xi

vanishes in R3 . Show that if u vanishes outside of some ball BR = {x R3 : |x| < R}, then u
vanishes everywhere in R3 .
Proof. To begin, we will denote

u1 (x, y, z)
~u(x, y, z) = u2 (x, y, z)
u3 (x, y, z)
Since u vanishes outside of a ball of radius R,
Z
Z
Z
ui ui dV =
(ui ui ) dV
BR

BR

ui ui dV

BR

Z
(ui ui ) ~n dS

=
BR

ui ui dV
BR

Z
=

ui ui dV
BR

Since ij = 0 we have

ui
= 0, and also
xi
2 ui
uj
uj
ui
=
=
=0
=
2
xj
xj xj
xj xi
xi xj

Hence ui = 0, and we see that

Z
ui ui dV = 0
BR

Next, we have
Z

|u|2 dV =

BR

BR

X  ui 2

 dV

 xj 
i,j

Z
(u1 u1 + u2 u2 + u3 u3 ) dV

=
BR

=0
Because |u|2 is positive, we see that the above condition requires u = 0 on all of BR . This
extends to Rn since u vanishes outside of BR . Therefore u is a constant vector field, hence the zero
vector field.