How to deduce rot and div formulas under spherical or cylinderical coordinat

In summary, the formulas for deducing rot and div under spherical or cylindrical coordinates involve using the limit definitions of the divergence and curl. The formula for h_1 is also necessary in the calculation. The calculation for the divergence follows a similar strategy to the one for the curl.
  • #1
Dale12
19
1
[SOLVED] How to deduce rot and div formulas under spherical or cylinderical coordinat

It is said that in general, these formulas are:

if [tex]
dl_1=h_1du_1, dl_2=h_2du_2, dl_3=h_3du_3
[/tex]

then
[tex]\nabla \Psi=\frac{1}{h_1}\frac{\partial\Psi}{\partial u_1}\vec{e}_1 + \frac{1}{h_2}\frac{\partial\Psi}{\partial u_2}\vec{e}_2 + \frac{1}{h_3}\frac{\partial\Psi}{\partial u_3}\vec{e}_3
[/tex]

with the first sentence, which above is easy to be understood, but how to deduce the two formulas below?

[tex]\nabla\cdot\vec{f}=\frac{1}{h_2h_3}[\frac{\partial(h_2h_3f_1)}{\partial u_1} + \frac{\partial(h_3h_1f_2)}{\partial u_2} + \frac{\partial(h_1h_2f_3)}{\partial u_3}]
[/tex]

[tex]\nabla\times\vec{f}=\frac{1}{h_2h_3}[\frac{\partial(h_3f_3)}{\partial u_2} - \frac{\partial(h_2f_2)}{\partial u_3}]\vec{e}_1 + \frac{1}{h_3h_1}[\frac{\partial(h_1f_1)}{\partial u_3} - \frac{\partial(h_3f_3)}{\partial u_1}]\vec{e}_2 + \frac{1}{h_1h_2}[\frac{\partial(h_2f_2)}{\partial u_1} - \frac{\partial(h_1f_1)}{\partial u_2}]\vec{e}_3
[/tex]
==========================
some one says that
[tex]
h_1=\sqrt{(\frac{\partial x_1}{u_1})^2+(\frac{\partial x_2}{u_1})^2+(\frac{\partial x_3}{u_1})^2}
[/tex]
and etc.
But I don't know how to deduce this too.

thanks a lot!
 
Last edited:
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  • #3
robphy said:
Use the limit definitions of the divergence and curl.
See http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Divergence.html and http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Curl.html .

I know that [tex]h_1=\sqrt{(\frac{\partial x_1}{u_1})^2+(\frac{\partial x_2}{u_1})^2+(\frac{\partial x_3}{u_1})^2}[/tex]
is just the formula(6) in http://mathworld.wolfram.com/CurvilinearCoordinates.html now.

and by using the limit definitions of the divergence, I can deduce the formula like below:
[tex]

\nabla\cdot\vec{f} = \lim_{\delta V\rightarrow 0} \frac{1}{\delta V}\oint\vec{f}\cdot\vec{n}dS

[/tex]
[tex]

= \frac{1}{h_1h_2h_3du_1du_2du_3}[(h_2h_3f_1)^{'}-(h_2h_3f_1)]du_2du_3 + [(h_1h_3f_2)^{'}-(h_1h_3f_2)]du_2du_3 +[(h_1h_2f_3)^{'}-(h_1h_2f_3)]du_2du_3

[/tex]
[tex]

= \frac{1}{h_1h_2h_3du_1du_2du_3}\cdot[\frac{\partial(h_2h_3f_1)}{\partial u_1} + \frac{\partial(h_1h_3f_2)}{\partial u_2} +\frac{\partial(h_1h_2f_3)}{\partial u_3}]du_1du_2du_3

[/tex]
[tex]

= \frac{1}{h_1h_2h_3}[\frac{\partial(h_2h_3f_1)}{\partial u_1} + \frac{\partial(h_1h_3f_2)}{\partial u_2} +\frac{\partial(h_1h_2f_3)}{\partial u_3}]

[/tex]

but the formula of rot seems to be hard because it's different definition form, I am puzzled...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #4
[tex]\left(\nabla\times\vec{f}\right) \cdot \hat n
= \lim_{\delta A\rightarrow 0} \frac{1}{\delta A}\oint\vec{f}\cdot d\vec{s}[/tex]
finds the component of the curl (rot), parallel to [tex]\hat n[/tex].

The calculation follows a similar strategy to the one for the divergence.
Consider the case when [tex]\hat n=\hat e_1[/tex].
Consider a small oriented rectangle in the [tex]e_2e_3[/tex]-plane, with unit normal [tex]\hat e_1[/tex] and area [tex](h_2du_2)(h_3du_3)[/tex]. Now do the line-integral... analogous to the surface integral you did for the divergence.
 
  • #5
IC, thanks to robphy!
 

Q1: What is the difference between rot and div formulas under spherical or cylindrical coordinates?

The rot and div formulas under spherical or cylindrical coordinates are both mathematical operations used to describe vector fields. The main difference between them is that the rot formula, also known as the curl, describes the rotational behavior of a vector field, while the div formula, also known as the divergence, describes the spreading or contracting behavior of a vector field.

Q2: How do I deduce the rot formula under spherical coordinates?

To deduce the rot formula under spherical coordinates, you will need to use the spherical coordinate system and the gradient operator. The rot formula in spherical coordinates is given by:
rot F = (1/r sinθ) * (∂Fz/∂θ - ∂Fθ/∂z) * er + (1/r) * (∂Fρ/∂z - ∂Fz/∂ρ) * eθ + (1/rρ) * (∂(ρFθ)/∂ρ - ∂Fρ/∂θ) * eϕ, where F is the vector field, r is the radial distance, θ is the polar angle, and ρ is the distance in the xy-plane.

Q3: How do I deduce the div formula under cylindrical coordinates?

To deduce the div formula under cylindrical coordinates, you will need to use the cylindrical coordinate system and the gradient operator. The div formula in cylindrical coordinates is given by:
div F = (1/r) * (∂(rFr)/∂r + ∂Fz/∂z) + (1/r) * (∂(rFϕ)/∂ϕ), where F is the vector field, r is the radial distance, and ϕ is the azimuthal angle.

Q4: Why do we use spherical or cylindrical coordinates to deduce rot and div formulas?

Spherical and cylindrical coordinates are useful for deducing rot and div formulas because they are better suited for describing vector fields that exhibit rotational or spreading/contracting behavior, respectively. These coordinate systems also have symmetry, making it easier to visualize and solve mathematical equations.

Q5: Can I use the rot and div formulas under spherical or cylindrical coordinates for any vector field?

Yes, the rot and div formulas under spherical or cylindrical coordinates can be used for any vector field. However, it is important to note that these formulas are specific to these coordinate systems and may not be applicable in other coordinate systems. It is also important to consider the limitations and assumptions of using these formulas for certain vector fields.

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