ME613: Continuum Mechanics

Autumn Semester (August - December, 2021)

School of Mechanical Sciences, IIT Goa
Home work-3
(September 25, 2021)

1. Consider a plane of reflection that passes through the origin. Let n be a unit normal vector
to the plane and let r be the position vector for a point in space. (a) Show that the reflected
vector for r is given by T · r = r − 2(r · n)n, where T is the transformation that corresponds
to the reflection. (b) Let n = √13 (ê1 + ê2 + ê3 ), find the matrix of T . (c) Use this linear
transformation to find the mirror image of the vector a = ê1 + 2ê2 + 3ê3 .

2. A rotation tensor R is defined by the relation Rê1 = ê2 , Rê2 = ê3 and Rê3 = ê1 . (a) Find
the matrix of R and verify that RT R = I and det R = 1. (b) Find a unit vector in the
direction of the axis of rotation that could have been used to effect this particular rotation.

3. The basis {ê0i } is obtained by a 30◦ counterclockwise rotation of the {êi } basis about the ê3
axis. (a) Find the transformation matrix [Q] relating the√two sets of basis. (b) By using the
vector transformation law, find the components of a = 3ê1 + ê2 in the primed basis, i.e.,
find a0i .

4. The matrix of a tensor T with respect to the basis {êi } is

 
1 5 −5
[T ] =  5 0 0 .
−5 0 1

0 0 0
Find T11 , T12 and T31 with respect to a right-handed basis {ê0i }, where ê01 is in the direction
0
of −ê2 + 2ê3 and ê2 is in the direction of ê1 .

5. For any vector a and any tensor T , show that (a) a · T A a = 0, and (b) a · T a = a · T S a,
where T A and T S are the anti-symmetric and symmetric part of T , respectively.

6. Let F be an arbitrary tensor. (a) Show that F T F and F F T are both symmetric tensors.
(b) If F = QU = V Q, where Q is orthogonal, show that U 2 = F T F and V 2 = F F T
Note that U and V are positive definite symmetric matrices.

7. Given that tensors R and S have the same eigenvector n and corresponding eigenvalues r1
and s1 , respectively. Find an eigenvalue and the corresponding eigenvector for T = RS.

8. A tensor T has a matrix as given below. Find the principal values and principal directions for
each case
 
1 1 0
(a) [T ] = 1 1
 0,
0 0 2
  
0 1 1
(b) [T ] = 1 0 1.
1 1 0

9. Consider a scalar function φ = φ(x, y, z) and a vector function a = a(x, y, z). Show that

∇ · (φa) = φ(∇ · a) + a · (∇φ).

10. Consider two scalar functions, φ = φ(x, y, z) and ψ = ψ(x, y, z), and two vector functions,
v = v(x, y, z) and w = w(x, y, z). Prove the following.

(a). ∇(φψ) = ψ∇φ + φ∇ψ.

(b). ∇ × (φv) = ∇φ × v + φ∇ × v.
(c). ∇ · (v × w) = w · (∇ × v) − v · (∇ × w).
(d). ∇ × (∇φ) = 0.
(e). ∇ · (∇ × v) = 0.