Curvilinear Coordinates

Engineering Sciences 23 Sta

Values of the Dot Product Between Fundamental Unit Vectors in Cartesian, Cylindrical, and Spherical Coordinate Systems.
x x y z r R z 1 0 0 sin cos cos cos sin cos sin 0 y 0 1 0 sin sin cos sin cos sin cos 0 z 0 0 1 cos sin 0 0 0 1 r sin cos sin sin cos 1 0 0 sin 0 cos cos cos cos sin sin 0 1 0 cos 0 sin sin cos 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 R cos sin 0 sin cos 0 1 0 0 sin cos 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 z 0 0 1 cos sin 0 0 0 1

ELEMENTARY SOURCES AND FIELDS

Source Type Uniform Plane Field Uniform Axisymmetric Field Line Flux Source Point Flux Source Line Circulation Source Plane (2D) Dipole Point (3D) Dipole
d 2R2 p 4r 3

Vector Field V V0 x V0 z
F 2R R F 4r 2 r 2R

Potential Functions V0 x V0 z
F 2 nR F 4r 2 d cos 2 R p cos 4 r 2

Streamfunction V0 y
1 p = 2 V 0 r 2 F 2 F p = 4 cos 2 nR d sin 2 R

cos R + sin 2 cos + sin r

p =

p sin2 4 r

Thayer School of Engineering

Curvilinear Coordinates

Engineering Sciences 23 Sta

-operations in Dierent Coordinate Systems

Cartesian Coordinates
Gradient : = x + y + . x y z z
Vx x Vy y Vz z .

Divergence :

Curl :

=x

Vz y

Vy z

+y

Vx z

Vz x

+ z

Vy x

Vx y

Laplacian :

2 2x

2 2y

2 2z .

Cylindrical Coordinates
Gradient :
= R R + R + . 1 z z

Divergence :

1 R R (RVR )

1 R V

z Vz .

Curl :

=R

1 Vz R

V z

VR z

Vz R

+ z

1 R R (RV )

1 VR R

Laplacian :

1 R R (R R )

1 2 R2 2

2 z 2 .

Spherical Coordinates

Gradient :

= + 1 + r sin . r r 1 r

Divergence :

1 2 r 2 r (r Vr )

1 r sin (sin V )

1 r sin V .

Curl :

= r sin r 1

(sin V )

+ 1 r

1 Vr sin

r (r V )

+ 1 r

r (r V )

Vr

Laplacian :

1 2 r 2 r (r r )

1 r 2 sin (sin )

2 1 . r 2 sin2 2

Curvilinear Coordinates

Engineering Sciences 23 Sta

Line, Surface and Volume Elements in Dierent Coordinate Systems

Cartesian Coordinates

dV = dxdydz

d = xdx + ydy + dz z x dydz, yz-plane dS = y dxdz, xz-plane dxdy, xy-plane z

Cylindrical Coordinates

dV = R dRddz

d = RdR + R d + dz z R R ddz, curved-surface dS = dRdz, meridional-plane R dRd, top/bottom-plane z

Spherical Coordinates

dV = r2 sin drdd

d = dr + r sin d + rd r 2 r r sin dd, curved-surface dS = r sin drd, meridional-plane rdrd, xy-plane