Lecture 6 Stewart 16.2 16.

Line integrals of vectorfields

In order to understand how fine integrals of vector fields work

we shall use the work done by a forcefield i.e a vectorfield

along a curve C as a guiding example

Work
If you did science at school you will recognize the following formula
for the work done by a force F along a displacement T
F
W IF't try
p

This formula only works if the force and the displacement are
in the same direction If there is a nonzero angle between
F and 5 one uses the better formula
F 7

W E o f f

But what if the force isn't constant and the path along
which the force acts isn't straight
Let F'lay z be a vector field and let C be a smooth curve

We wish to find the work done by along C

Partition C
C
Ti
go.si.fi
o unit tangent
vector at point

F'i value of the vector

field at point

Therefore Wi T Fi Fi s.si since Ssi is straight if we zoom

in far enough Then we add up the work for each piece and
take the limit as the number of pieces tend to infinity

W Fixy z Fixy z ds J F I ds

Remark This formula is a special case of the line integrals

we introduced in the previous section since F F
is a scalar valued function just like fcosy z
The formula above is not really very effective in general situations

but it works very well if there is a nice geometric relationship

between F and F That is when F and F are parallel
or perpendicular throughout C

Example 1

Fbc y I
Determine the work done
by
n t
y E along C
where C is the unit circle x y 1

Solution Notice that F always points radially outwards from the

origin and thus F is always orthogonal to C

ri ar

n
I L

L T 7 7y

v
L
v

Thus W F Fds o
 In situations where such a convenient geometric relationship between

F and T does not exist we must use a parametrization of

C as before

Let C be parametrized Flt adt yet ZHI with teCaD

by
I t
Then f trial As before we wish to rewrite the
integral in terms of the parameter t Observe that

tr CHI x'HD't lyca t Http

Therefore we get

W F Fds Feria
If Iritty de

F
fab
Ects E'Ct dt

Notational convention We write E o de

All of the above is summarized in the definition below for line

integrals of general vectorfields of which forcefields are a special

case
Definition

Let F be a continuous vectorfield defined everywhere on a smooth

curve C which is given by the parametrization ICH t CCab

Then the line integral of F along C is

E'ode F Ect Hdt F Fds

Example 2

Evaluate E de where Flay z say I t

YEI t 2x K
and C is given by a t
y t 2 E3 with 0 Et El

Solution We have t ti t t t t k
j
LH I t
ITI t SEE
and E'CECE t I t
t't t t't E

check
Thus Foods
of F Ects IA dt

22
f est 5th dt
 way to calculate line integrals of vectorfields Let
There is another
E P I t QI t RI and C be a smooth curve parametrized
by Ltl xlt yet ZHI with a et Eb

Then

E de F'fCts Hdt

Plett Qirui READY Gilt yCH 2HD dt

b
P Ect x'lH t Qirui yITI t RLEHDZ.CH dt
a

JaPdxtQdytRdZ

Thus F o de
f Pdx t Qdy t Rdt

Remark We know that the line integrals on the RHS above depend
on the orientation of C and therefore so do line integrals of

vector fields That is

JE
de F DE
Theorem The fundamental theorem of lineintegrals

Let C be a smooth curve given by the parametrization

Ect a et Eb Let f be a differentiable function such that

Df is continuous on C Then

TH o de f e b f Ica

Proof we prove the thin for the case where f is a function of

three variables The case for a function of twovariables is similar

TH o de fbDf EH E LH dt

g Ey t.cdft.IE date at

Sab IE Fy dat tf dat at

b
dat f Elt dt by the chain rule

f Ecb theLa by the fundamental

theoremof calculus
Remark Although the theorem is only stated for smooth curves
it is true for piecewise smooth curves as well we simply add
the line integrals alongeachpiece as before

Example 3

Determine the work done by the gravitational field

Fuel mMG_
E 13

in moving particle with mass m from 3,4 12 to

a 2,40
along the curve C indicated in the figure below
E
C n o 34,12
C C U Cz U Cz
6,0lb
y 7Y
2
L C3 42,0

Solution We know from lecture

4 that E is conservative with
potential function
fc.gg z mMGf tZ

Thus W E die
 J TH a DE

f 2,2 o f 3,4 12 by the fund th

mm
mMGf I

MMG LTE

In other words the fudamental theorem says that for a

conservative vector field the work done depends only on the

endpoints of the curve and not on the particular path taken

from beginning to end

That Pf a de a de if C and Cz have the

Ff
is
same endpoints

f x y z f CocoyoZo
Z r
sYi Z

2
KoyoZo
y
L
X
Line integrals which have this property are called path independent
Note that far we only know that line integrals of
so
conservative vector fields are path independent

There is another really useful way to think aboutpath independence

as the following theorem illustrates

Theorem

Fade is path independent in D where D is the domainof

F if and only if F de o for every
closed curve

in D

Proof Suppose that F de is pathindepend in D and let C

be a closed Choose P and P
any two
curve in D distinct points
on C and partition C as C C U Cz where C and Cz

are
given
as in the sketch below
Cz
p C C U
Cz

C ar
 F de
Then de
F de t
E
de
F DE t

0 since C and Cz have the same

endpoints Bothgofrom P to P

Conversely suppose that F dir o for any closed curve

C in D and let Ci and C be any two curves in D which

have the same endpoints Then C v C Ca is a closed curve

in D and thus

Yui D
If de
t.fi.de
E de DE
IE
Hence F de that E'ode is
f
de so path

independent in D ma