Advanced

Technology M7 "Fields and Waves"

Vector field theory

Assignments set 1


1. a) Find a parametrization of half a counter clockwise circle centered at the
origin with radius R:
x 2 + y 2 = R 2 , y ≤ 0 .
b) Find a parametrization for the same circle, but now clockwise.

2. Consider the following parametrization:

x = r sin θ cos φ
y = r sin θ sin φ
z = r cosθ
a) Specify the ranges of the parameters r, θ and ϕ to describe a spherical shell
with radius R.
b) Specify the ranges of the parameters r, θ and ϕ to describe a sphere (including
interior) with radius R.
c) Specify the ranges of the parameters r, θ and ϕ to describe a half sphere
(including interior) with radius R and x≥0.

3. Given:
!
u = (x, y, z)
!
v = (yz, xz, xy)
f (x, y, z) = (x 2 + y 2 + z 2 )β
a) Determine the divergence and curl of vector fields u and v.
b) Determine the cross product u×v and then determine the divergence of that
field.
c) Determine the gradient of f (β is an arbitrary parameter).

4. Show that ∇ × ∇f (x, y, z) = 0 when f is two times differentiable.

5. Consider the closed path composed of half an ellipse and a straight line, as
shown in the figure.

The equations for the half-ellipse and the straight line are:
half ellipse: (2x −1)2 + y 2 = 9
straight line: y = 0
a) Determine parametrizations for the segments of the path R->S ->Q, Q->R.
b) Compute the integrals:
! ! !
K j = ∫ F ⋅ dx , for j = a, b, c (see figure), with F = (x, 2x) .
( j)
!
c) Compute the integrals over the closed path R->S->Q->R for F = (x, y) and
!
F = (y, −x) (Hint: use Stokes' theorem).

!
6. Calculate the work done by the force F = (y +1, x) along the half ellipse (x-
1)2+¼y2=1 from point [2,0] via [1,2] to [0,0].

7. Consider the closed surface D formed by the cone

16x 2 +16y 2 = 9z 2 ,

z ∈ [0, 4]
and closed by the plane z=4.
Calculate the integral over the closed surface:
! !
"
∫ u ⋅ ds,
D
!
u = (x, y, 0)
Do this by direct computation as well as by using Gauss' theorem.
8. Given the surface x 2 + y 2 = 4 − z, z ∈ [0, 4] closed by the plane z=0, as shown in
the figure.

a) Calculate the volume of the object.
!
b) Determine the integral of the field a = (y, −x, z +1) over surface S1 and over
surface S2.
c) Verify Gauss' theorem using this vector field and this object.