16.

Conservative Vector
Fields
Review:
Work  F  dr =  F  Tds=  F  r '(t )dt   Mdx  Ndy  Pdz
C C C C if F  Mi  Nj  Pk
 F  dr is also called circulation if F represents a velocity vector field.
C
Outward flux across a simple closed
curve C in the plane is  F  nds   Mdy  Ndx if F  Mi  Nj
C C

F is called conservative (or a gradient vector field) if F  f

The function f is called the potential of F.

Fundamental theorem for line integrals :

a) F  f if and only if  F  dr is path independent:  F  dr =  F  dr
C1 C2
C

b) If F  f , then  F  dr  f ( B)  f ( A)
C
B

 F  dr =  F  dr
C A
if C is a path from A to B.
Question : When is a vector field F conservative?
f f f f
Need: F = Mi  Nj  f  i j or: M  and N 
x y x y

M N
a necessary condition: 
y x

f f f
In 3 dimensions: F = Mi  Nj  Pk  f  i j k
x y z
f f f
need: M  , N  and P 
x y z

M N M P N P
necessary conditions:  ,  , 
y x z x z y
Recall: f f f
In 3 dimensions: F = Mi  Nj  Pk  f  i  j k
x y z
M N M P N P
necessary conditions:  ,  , 
y x z x z y

Another way to express this, which is easier to remember:

i j k
 P N   M P   N M 
curl F  
x

y

z   i +   j   k
 y z   z x   x y 
M N P

Theorem: If F = Mi  Nj  Pk and F  f then curl F  0.

This condition is "almost" sufficient as well.

But it is always a good test.
Some terminology for curves C :
Definition : A region R is called simply connected if every closed curve in R
can be shrunk to a point by curves staying in R.

Important examples : The plane minus the origin is not simply connected.
3-space minus the origin is simply connected.
3-space minus the z-axis is not simply connected.
Theorem: If F = Mi  Nj is defined in a connected and
M N
simply connected region, then F  f if and only if 
y x

Theorem: If F = Mi  Nj  Pk is defined in a connected and

simply connected region, then F  f if and only if
M N M P N P
 ,  ,  or curl(F)  0
y x z x z y

Hint: To find the potential f , integrate one at a time

f f f
M , N (and P  if in 3-space)
x y z

Definition : A differential Mdx  Ndy  Pdz is called exact if

Mdx  Ndy  Pdz  df for some function f .
This is equivalent to saying that Mi  Nj  Pk  f (can use same theorems)
 Example : Find the work done by the force
F  x, y    2 x  e  y  i   4 y  xe  y  j along the indicated curve.

M  2 x  e  y N  4 y  xe  y
M y  e  y N x  e  y  so F is a gradient field.
f f
need:  M and N
x y

f  x, y    Mdx    2 x  e  y  dx  x 2  xe  y  G  y 

f y  x, y    xe  y  G   y   N  x, y  Work   F  dr  f  x, y 
 2,0 
 2,0 
C
 xe y  G  y   4 y  xe y  2,0 
  x  xe
2 y
 2y 2
 2,0 
G  y   4 y
  4  2    4  2   4
G  y   2 y2  C

f  x, y   x 2  xe  y  2 y 2  C
Example : Determine wether the given vector field is a gradient field.
If so, find a potential function. M  2 xy 2  3xz 2
F   2 xy  3xz  i   2 x y  2 y  j   3x z  2 z  j
2 2 2 2
N  2x2 y  2 y
P  3x 2 z  2 z
i j k
curl F  
x

y

z   0  i +  6 xz  6 xz  j   4 xy  4 xy  k = 0
2 xy 2  3 xz 2 2 x 2 y  2 y 3x 2 z  2 z
f f f
So F is a gradient field, F  f . Now let's find f . need: M  , N and P 
x y z

f   Mdx    2 xy 2  3xz 2  dx  x y  32 x z  G  y, z 
2 2 2 2

2 x 2 y  2 y  N  f y  2 x 2 y  G y ( y, z ) or G y ( y, z )  2 y
or G ( y, z )  y 2  H ( z ) hence f  x 2 y 2  32 x 2 z 2  y 2  H ( z )
3 x z  2 z  P  f z  3x z  H '( z )
2 2
or H '( z )  2 z hence H ( z )   z 2

the potential is f  x, y, z   x 2 y 2  32 x 2 z 2  y 2  z 2  C
 Note : To indicate that the line integral is over a closed curve,
we often write  F  dr   F  dr
C C

Theorem: F is conservative if and only if for every closed curve C:

 F  dr  0
C

Indeed, if F  f and C goes from A to B and A  B

then  F  dr  f ( B)  f ( A)  0
C

Conversely, assume  F  dr  0 for any closed curve

C
C

and let C1 and C2 be two curves from A to B with A  B

Then 0 
C1  C2
F  dr   F  dr   F  dr
C1 C2

and hence  F  dr   F  dr
C1 C2
 y x
Example : Compute the work performed by the force F  i  j
x y
2 2
x y
2 2

as a particle travels around a circle of radius r counter clockwise.

parametrize the circle: x  r cos(t ), y  r sin(t ) dx  r sin(t ), dy  r cos(t )

 y x 
C F  dr  C  x 2  y 2 x 2  y 2
i  j    dxi  dyj

 r sin(t ) r cos(t ) 
=  i j    ( r sin(t ))i  (r cos(t ) jdt
C  
2 2
r r
2 2
=  r 2 
1 2 2
r sin (t )  r 2
cos 2
(t ) dt =  1dt  2 (for any radius r !)
0 0

Puzzle 1 : F is conservative since

  x  1  x  y   x  2 x  x 2  y 2    y  1  x  y   y  2 y
2 2 2 2
 x2  y 2
   and  2 2 
 
x  x 2  y 2   x 2
 y 
2 2
 x 2
 y 
2 2 y  x  y   x 2
 y 
2 2
 x 2
 y 
2 2

Solution : F is not defined at (0, 0), and the plane minus the origin is not simply connected !
 y
Puzzle 2 : F is conservative since F  f with f  arctan   (check it!)
x
 r is the vector from the center of the sun to the planet
Example : Gravitational vector field
M is the mass of the sun
GmM r
F m is the mass of the planet
| r |2 | r | G is the gravitational constant
G = 6.674 1011 N m 2 kg 2 (from 1798)
r xi  yj  zk
F     GmM
x  y  z  2 3/2
3
|r| 2 2

 
Claim : F is conservative with potential f  i.e. f ( x, y, z ) 
 x2  y 2  z 2 
1/2
|r|

f ( x, y , z )     x 2  y 2  z 2 
1/2
Indeed:

f  x f f
hence  2x  x  y  z  
2 2 2 3/2
and similarly for and
x 2  x 2
 y 2
 z 
2 3/2 y z

Example : The work necessary to "escape" the force field from a point p :


 F  dr =  F  dr  f ()  f ( p) 
C p
| p|
Example : Newton: force = mass x acceleration F  mr ''
Question : What is the work performed?
1  r ' r ' '
 F  dr =  F  r '(t )dt  m r '' r '(t )dt 2  m 2 dt
since  r ' r '  '  r '' r ' r ' r ''  2r '' r '
 r ' r ' ' dt
hence  F  dr =m 2

m
2   v  v  ' dt 
m
2   | v |2
 ' dt
C
t
m
k  | v |2 is the kinetic energy:
2

C
F  dr =  k (r (t )) ' dt  k (r (t ))  k (r (0))
0

work performed is gain in kinetic energy

If F is also conservative, F  f (sign is physics convention)

Claim : k  f is constant along any path r (t )

(conservation of kinetic energy + potential energy)
since  F  dr =  fdr   f (r (t ))  f (r (0)) and  F  dr  k (r (t ))  k (r (0))
hence k (r (t ))  f (r (t ))  k (r (0))  f (r (0))
C
 16.4

Greens Theorem
 Closed Curve Line Integral  Pdx  Qdy
C

Closed Curve Orientation:

Counter-clockwise
 Pdx  Qdy
C

Clockwise
C
 Pdx  Qdy    Pdx  Qdy
C

Green’s Theorem (in the plane = 2 dim.)

Suppose that C is a simple piecewise smooth closed curve.

C is the boundary of a region R. If P, Q, Py , and Qx are continuous on R, then

  Q
R
x  Py  dA   Pdx  Qdy
C
Example : Compute the closed line intgeral  y 2 dx  3 xydy  Q
R
x  Py  dA   Pdx  Qdy
C
C

where C is the indicated curve.

P  y 2 , Q  3xy

Qx  3 y, Py  2 y
 2
GThm

 y 2 dx  3xydy   ydA    r sin  rdrd

C R 0 1

 2
r 
2 3
   cos  0

  sin  d   r dr
2
 
0 1  3 1
 8  1 7 14
   cos     cos 0          1   1     
 3  3 3
We can use Green's theorem to compute areas:

If Qx  Py  1, then

 Pdx  Qdy   Q
C R
x  Py  dA   dA  The area of the
R interior region R
If you have the parametrization of a closed curve and want to find the enclosed
area then you can use this consequence of Green's Theorem to set up the line integral.
1 1
choose: P   y, Q  x  Qx  Py  2
2 2

 Pdx  Qdy   Q
C R
x  Py  dA   2dA
R

1 1 1 R stands for the boundary

Pdx  Qdy 
2
xdy  ydx
2
area ( R)  
2 R
xdy  ydx
of the region R
 x2 y 2
Example : Find the area enclosed by the ellipse 2  2  1.
a b
b
x2 y 2
The parametrization of the ellipse 2  2  1:
a a
a b
x  a cos t dx  a sin tdt
b
y  b sin t dy  b cos tdt
0  t  2
1
Area   xdy  ydx positively oriented
2C
2
1

2  a cos t   b cos tdt   b sin t   a sin tdt 
0
2 2

  cos t  sin 2 t  dt
1 ab
  ab cos t  ab sin t dt 
2 2 2

2 0 2 0

2

  ab
ab ab

2 0 dt  2  2