VECTOR CALCULUS

VECTOR FIELDS
These are functions that assign vectors to points in space.

2
VELOCITY VECTOR FIELD
Associated with every point in the air, we can imagine a wind
velocity vector.

3
VECTOR FIELDS Example 1

The vectors displayed are air velocity vectors.

They indicate the wind speed and direction at points 10 m above the
surface elevation in the San Francisco Bay area.

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VECTOR FIELDS
Notice that the wind patterns on consecutive days are quite
different.

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VELOCITY FIELDS Example 2

The speed at any given point is indicated by

the length of the arrow.

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VELOCITY VECTOR FIELDS Example 3
Other examples of
velocity vector fields are:

Ocean currents

Flow past an airfoil

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GRAVITATIONAL FIELD Example 4
The gravitational field F

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VECTOR FIELD
In general, a vector field is a function whose:
2 3
Domain is a set of points in D in ℜ or ℜ
Range is a set of vectors in V2 (or V3).

9
 2
VECTOR FIELDS ON ℜ Example 1
2
A vector field on ℜ is defined by: F(x, y) = –y i + x j

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 VECTOR FIELDS

• Some computer algebra systems (CAS) are capable of plotting vector

fields in two or three dimensions.

•They give a better impression of the vector field than is possible by hand
because the computer can plot a large number of representative vectors.

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VECTOR FIELDS
The figure shows a computer plot of the vector field in Example 1.

Notice that the computer scales the lengths of the vectors so they are not too
long and yet are proportional to their true length. 12
VECTOR FIELDS
These figures show two other vector fields.

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 3
VECTOR FIELDS ON ℜ Example 2
Sketch the vector field on F(x, y, z) = z k

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VECTOR FIELDS

Most 3-D vector fields, however, are

virtually impossible to sketch by hand.

So, we need to resort to a CAS.

Examples are shown in the following figures.

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VECTOR FIELDS BY CAS

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Differentiation of Two Vectors

If both A(u ) and B~ (u ) are vectors, then

~
d d A
a) (c A) = c ~
du ~ du
d d A d B
~ ~
b) ( A+ B ) = +
du ~ ~ du du
d d B d A
c) (A.B) = A. ~ + ~
.B
du ~ ~ ~ du du ~
d d B d A
d) (A × B) = A× ~ + ~
×B
du ~ ~ ~ du du ~
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Partial Derivatives of a Vector

• If vector A
~
depends on more than one
parameter, i.e
A (u1 , u 2 , L , u n ) = a x (u1 , u 2 , L , u n ) i
~ ~

+ a y (u1 , u 2 , L , u n ) j
~

+ a z (u1 , u 2 , L , u n ) k
~

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• Partial derivative of A
~
with respect to u 1 is
given by
∂A ∂a x ∂a y ∂a z
~
= i+ j+ k,
∂ u1 ∂ u1 ~ ∂ u1 ~ ∂ u1 ~
∂2 A ∂ 2
a ∂ 2
a y ∂ 2
az
x
~
= i+ j+ k
∂ u1∂ u 2 ∂ u1∂ u 2 ~ ∂ u1∂ u 2 ~ ∂ u1∂ u 2 ~

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e.t.c.
Example 2.6
If F = 3 uv 2 i + ( 2 u 2 − v ) j + ( u 3 + v 2 ) k
~ ~ ~ ~

then
∂F
~
= 3 v 2 i + 4 u j + 3u 2 k ,
∂u ~ ~ ~

∂F ∂2 F
~ ~
= 6 uv i − j + 2 v k , 2
= 4 j + 6u k ,
∂v ~ ~ ~ ∂u ~ ~

∂2 F ∂2 F ∂2 F
~ ~ ~
2
= 6u i + 2 k , = = 6v i
∂v ~ ~ ∂u∂v ∂v∂u ~

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Exercise 2.1
If F = 2 u 2 v i + ( 3 u − v 3 ) j + ( u 3 + 3 v 2 ) k
~ ~ ~ ~

then
∂F ∂F
~ ~
=L, =L
∂u ∂v
∂2 F ∂2 F
~ ~
2
=L, 2
=L
∂u ∂v
∂2 F ∂2 F
~ ~
=L, =L
∂u∂v ∂v∂u
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VECTOR IDENTITIES
1. ∇ • (A + B ) = (∇ • A ) + (∇ • B )
2. ∇× (A + B ) = (∇× A ) + (∇× B )
3. ∇ • (φ A ) = (∇φ ) ⋅ A + φ (∇ • A )
4. ∇× (φ A ) = (∇φ )× A + φ (∇× A )
5. ∇ • (A × B ) = B ⋅ (∇× A ) − A ⋅ (∇× B )
6. ∇× (A × B ) = A (∇ • B ) − B (∇ • A ) + (B ⋅ ∇ )A − (A ⋅ ∇ )B
7. ∇(A ⋅ B ) = (B ⋅ ∇ )A + (A ⋅ ∇ )B + B × (∇× A ) + A × (∇× B )
8. ∇ • (∇ϕ ) = ∇ 2ϕ
9. ∇× (∇ϕ ) = 0
10. ∇ • (∇× A ) = 0
11. ∇× (∇× A ) = ∇(∇ • A ) − ∇ 2 A
 Problem
Compute
 Problems Discussion on
Vector Differential Calculus
 Vector Identities & Important Formulae
1. ∇ • (A + B ) = (∇ • A ) + (∇ • B ) 11. ∇ × (∇ × A ) = ∇ (∇ • A ) − ∇ 2
A
r
2. ∇× (A + B ) = (∇× A ) + (∇× B ) 12. ∇r =
r
r
3. ∇ • (φ A ) = (∇φ ) ⋅ A + φ (∇ • A ) 13. ∇f (r ) = f ' (r )∇r = f ' (r )
r
4. ∇× (φ A ) = (∇φ )× A + φ (∇× A ) 14. ∇ • r = 3
2 2
16 . ∇ r =
5. ∇ • (A × B ) = B ⋅ (∇× A ) − A ⋅ (∇× B ) 15. ∇× r = 0
r
6. ∇× (A × B ) = A (∇ • B ) − B (∇ • A ) + (B ⋅ ∇ )A − (A ⋅ ∇ )B
7. ∇(A ⋅ B ) = (B ⋅ ∇ )A + (A ⋅ ∇ )B + B × (∇× A ) + A × (∇× B )
8. ∇ • (∇ϕ ) = ∇ 2ϕ
9. ∇× (∇ϕ ) = 0
10. ∇ • (∇× A ) = 0
×
6. ∇× (A × B ) = A (∇ • B ) − B (∇ • A ) + (B ⋅ ∇ )A − (A ⋅ ∇ )B