CHAPTER 9

VECTOR CALCULUS
 9.9 INDEPENDENCE OF PATH.
 OBJECTIVE:

In this section we refer to a piecewise smooth curve

C between an initial point A and terminal point B as a
path of integration or simply a path

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Definition: Path
A path is a piecewise-smooth curve C between initial
point A and terminal point B.
From previous section, we know that

Where depends on the path C. That is if are two

different paths between A and B, then it is expected that

But this is not always true.

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Theorem 9.9.4: Test for conservative field
is Conservative if and only if

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Example 1

Example 2

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Definition: Conservative vector field
If a vector field function F in 2 or 3 space is conservative,
then can be written as the gradient of some scalar
function .
That is and is called a potential function of F
and is independent of the path C

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Fundamental Theorem of Line Integrals
Suppose that is a conservative
vector field in R and is a potential function of F and
C is a path in an open region R in the xy-plane
defined by , then

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Definitions of Connected, Simply Connected and
Open Regions.
1) A region R is said to be connected if any two points A and B in
R can be joined by a piecewise smooth curve that lies entirely
inside R

Not Connected
Connected
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Theorem 9.9.2
Suppose that is a vector field in an open
connected region R, then is independent of the path C if
and only if F is conservative.

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Question

If we know that F is conservative, how do we find the potential

function for F and how can we find the work done?

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Example 3 For

1) Show that the integral is independent of the path.

2) Find the potential function
3) Compute the integral.

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Example 3 For

1) Show that the integral is independent of the path.

2) Find the potential function
3) Compute the integral.

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Example 3 For

1) Show that the integral is independent of the path.

2) Find the potential function
3) Compute the integral.

2) Since F is conservative, then

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Example 4 For
(0,0)

∫ (5 𝑥 +4 𝑦 )𝑑𝑥+(4 𝑥 −8 𝑦 3 )𝑑𝑦
(− 1,1)
1) Show that the integral is independent of the path.
2) Find the potential function
3) Compute the integral.

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Example 4 For
(0,0)

∫ (5 𝑥 +4 𝑦 )𝑑𝑥+(4 𝑥 −8 𝑦 3 )𝑑𝑦
(− 1,1)
1) Show that the integral is independent of the path.
2) Find the potential function
3) Compute the integral.

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 Example 4 For
(0,0)

∫ (5 𝑥 +4 𝑦 )𝑑𝑥+(4 𝑥 −8 𝑦 3 )𝑑𝑦
(− 1,1)
1) Show that the integral is independent of the path.
2) Find the potential function
3) Compute the integral.

2) Since F is conservative, then

𝜕Φ 𝜕Φ 3
𝐹=(5𝑥+4𝑦)𝑖+(4𝑥−8𝑦 ) 𝑗=∇Φ= 𝑖+ 𝑗
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦
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Fundamental Theorem of Line Integrals in #-D Space

Suppose that
is a conservative vector field in R and is a potential
function of F and C is a path in an open region R in the
xy-plane defined by
then

Furthermore, is independent of the path if and

only if F is conservative, that is:

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 For
Example 5

1) Show that the integral is independent of the path.

2) Find the potential function
3) Compute the integral.

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Example 5

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Solution of example 5

2) Since F is conservative, then F is independent of the path and

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 For (2 , 𝜋 / 2 ,1)
Example 6
∫ 3𝑧 2
(2 𝑥𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑦 +𝑒 )𝑑𝑥+𝑥 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑦 𝑑𝑦+(3 𝑥 𝑒 +5)𝑑𝑧
3𝑧

1) (1 ,0 ,0) that the integral is independent of the path.

Show
2) Find the potential function
3) Compute the integral.

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