# Divergence and curl

## Homework Statement

find the divergence and curl of the vector field

A = (x/($$\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2}$$))i + (y/($$\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2}$$))j + (z/($$\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2}$$))k

## The Attempt at a Solution

Im not going to go through the whole lot but i have done the whole Differentiation but it would take for ever to input it into this.

and i got the curl to be 0i+0j+0k and the divergence to be 0, is this possible or likely?

## Answers and Replies

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vela
Staff Emeritus
Homework Helper
According to Mathematica, the curl is 0, but the divergence isn't.

## Homework Statement

find the divergence and curl of the vector field

A = (x/($$\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2}$$))i + (y/($$\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2}$$))j + (z/($$\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2}$$))k

## The Attempt at a Solution

Im not going to go through the whole lot but i have done the whole Differentiation but it would take for ever to input it into this.

and i got the curl to be 0i+0j+0k and the divergence to be 0, is this possible or likely?

$$\nabla \cdot \vec{A} = \frac{\partial}{\partial x}(\frac{x}{\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2}}) + \frac{\partial}{\partial y}(\frac{y}{\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2}}) + \frac{\partial}{\partial z}(\frac{z}{\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2}})$$

All three terms are not zero.

I'm really realy sorry, i inputed the question wrong here, the square root should be cubed like this

$$\nabla \cdot \vec{A} = \frac{\partial}{\partial x}(\frac{x}{(\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2})^3}) + \frac{\partial}{\partial y}(\frac{y}{(\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2})^3}) + \frac{\partial}{\partial z}(\frac{z}{(\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2})^3})$$

thanks a million for the replys,but could you tell if mathematica gets 0 and 0 for the curl and div now, thanks

I'm really realy sorry, i inputed the question wrong here, the square root should be cubed like this

$$\nabla \cdot \vec{A} = \frac{\partial}{\partial x}(\frac{x}{(\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2})^3}) + \frac{\partial}{\partial y}(\frac{y}{(\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2})^3}) + \frac{\partial}{\partial z}(\frac{z}{(\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2})^3})$$

thanks a million for the replys,but could you tell if mathematica gets 0 and 0 for the curl and div now, thanks
Hi why do you need mathematica to do the div for you. Just do some simple mental sums, apply product rule to each partial. Anyway its pretty clear that the div is zero.

vela
Staff Emeritus
Homework Helper
Yes, the div A and curl A both vanish, at least for $(x,y,z)\ne(0,0,0)$.
$$\vec{A} = \frac{1}{r^2}\hat{r}$$