Differentiating a scalar potential

In summary, the authors of the paper are trying to derive equation (9) from (5), but they mistakenly use the derivative of (4) instead.
  • #1
Safinaz
259
8

Hello,

I have this potential:

## V(\chi) = \frac { F ’’ (\chi) [ 2 F(\chi) - \chi F’ (\chi) ]}{ (F’(\chi))^3} ##

How to get

## \frac{ d V(\chi)}{d \chi} = \frac{ \chi F’’ + F’ - F’ }{ F’^2} - 2 \frac{ \chi F’ -F }{ F’^3} F’’ ~~~~~~(*)##

My trail,

## V( \chi) = 2 F F’’ F’^{-3} - \chi F’’ F’^{-2} ##

## \frac{ d V(\chi)}{d \chi} = 2 F’’ F’^{-2} + 2 F F’’’ F’^{-3} - 6 F F’’^2 F’^{-4} - F’’ F’^{-2} - \chi F’’’ F’^{-2} + 2 \chi F”^2 F’^{-3} ##,

which is not close to (*) !
 
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  • #2
Can you explain where each of your terms came from? I assume you're using the product rule but you have a product of three terms, so the application of the product rule is going to be more complex. Can you show more steps?

Also, your expression has ##F'''## which I'd expect given that ##V(x)## has terms in ##F''##. Yet ##F'''## doesn't appear in what you say is the answer. Also, the first term in (*) has F' - F' in the numerator. I assume that is a typo and one of those has the wrong number of primes on it.

So can you also check what the correct answer is supposed to be?
 
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  • #3
Hi,

I have added here the reference, I’m asking how to derive equation (9) when differentiataing (5) in https://arxiv.org/abs/1809.09975

hope this helps
 
  • #4
What you wrote as ##V(\chi)## is equation (5) for ##dV/d\chi##, the derivative of (4) with respect to ##\chi##.
What you wrote as (*) is the term in square brackets in (9), which supposedly represents ##dV/d\chi## (ignoring the constant up front as you did). Thus the authors are saying it's the same as (5), not the derivative of (5).

So all they're doing is algebraic rearranging of the expression in (5), no extra differentiating happened.
 
Last edited:
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  • #5
I showed a derivation which does indeed go from (5) to the expression in [*] by algebraic manipulation, but I have deleted it temporarily. I don't think this is homework since you're just trying to read an online paper, but you did post it in a homework forum, and the policy of this site is not to give answers to homework.

You can repeat what I did by taking the expression in (*) and rearranging it to get to equation (5). Then simply do the steps in reverse.
 
  • #6
RPinPA said:
What you wrote as ##V(\chi)## is equation (5) for ##dV/d\chi##, the derivative of (4) with respect to ##\chi##.
What you wrote as (*) is the term in square brackets in (9), which supposedly represents ##dV/d\chi## (ignoring the constant up front as you did). Thus the authors are saying it's the same as (5), not the derivative of (5).

So all they're doing is algebraic rearranging of the expression in (5), no extra differentiating happened.

Yep.. this is true .. thanks.
 

1. What is a scalar potential?

A scalar potential is a type of potential energy that is associated with a conservative force. It is a scalar quantity, meaning it only has magnitude and no direction. It is represented by the symbol V and is measured in units of energy.

2. How is a scalar potential different from a vector potential?

A scalar potential is different from a vector potential in that it does not have direction, while a vector potential does. Scalar potentials are associated with conservative forces, while vector potentials are associated with non-conservative forces.

3. How is a scalar potential calculated?

A scalar potential can be calculated by taking the negative gradient of a scalar function. This means finding the partial derivatives of the function with respect to each variable and then multiplying them by -1. The result is a vector that describes the direction and magnitude of the potential at each point.

4. What is the significance of a scalar potential in physics?

Scalar potentials are significant in physics because they represent a type of potential energy that is conserved in a system. This means that the total energy of the system remains constant, and energy cannot be created or destroyed. Scalar potentials also help in analyzing and solving problems involving conservative forces.

5. Can a scalar potential exist without a conservative force?

No, a scalar potential cannot exist without a conservative force. This is because scalar potentials are defined as being associated with conservative forces. If there is no conservative force present, there is no potential energy and therefore no scalar potential.

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