Let C be a piecewise smooth curve parameterized by the vector r(t) =

(x(t), y(t), z(t)) with a ≤ t ≤ b, and f be a continuous function defined

on C.
dr
• velocity: v(t) = (t) = (x0 (t), y0 (t), z0 (t))
dt
Rt
• arclength parameter: s(t) = a |v(τ)| dτ
R Rb
• line integral: C f ds = a f (r(t)) |v(t)| dt

• −C denotes the curve C with reversed direction. −C is parametrized

by the vector r∗ (t) = r(a + b − t), a ≤ t ≤ b
R R
• −C f ds = C f ds

• If C = C1 ∪ C2 then
Z Z Z
f ds = f ds + f ds.
C C1 C2

Some useful parametrization.

• If C is a line segment from (x0 , y0 , z0 ) to (x1 , y1 , z1 ) then a
parametrization of C is
r(t) = (1 − t) (x0 , y0 , z0 ) + t (x1 , y1 , z1 ), 0 ≤ t ≤ 1.
• If C is an arc of circle of center O and radius a oriented in the
anti-clockwise direction then a parametrization of C is
r(t) = (a cos t, a sin t) θ0 ≤ t ≤ θ1 ,
where θ0 and θ1 are the angles with the positive x−axis corre-
sponding to the starting and ending points.
• If C is an arc of ellipse centered at the origin with cartesian
x2 y2
equation 2 + 2 = 1 oriented in the anti-clockwise direction
a b
then a parametrization of C is
r(t) = (a cos t, b sin t) θ0 ≤ t ≤ θ1 ,
where θ0 and θ1 are the angles with the positive x−axis corre-
sponding to the starting and ending points.
• If C is a graph of a given function y = f (x) oriented from
(x0 , y0 ) to (x1 , y1 ), with x0 ≤ x1 then a parametrization of C is
r(t) = (t, f (t)), x0 ≤ t ≤ x1 .