Line Integrals around a Square on the x-y Plane

Toby_phys
Messages
26
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


Evaluate the following line integrals, showing your working. The path of integration in each case is anticlockwise around the four sides of the square OABC in the x−y plane whose edges are aligned with the coordinate axes. The length of each side of the square is a and one corner O is the origin.
(i) ##\int dl ##
(ii)## \int d\mathbf{l}##

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


i:
For each the sections OA and AB, the integral gets a value ##a##. This is clear.

However, for the sections BC and CO, the change in x is in the negative x direction.

Basically I have 2 different answers ##4a## and ##0##, which is correct? Thank you.

ii:

Same problem, I have 2 answers: ##2a\mathbf{i} + 2a\mathbf{j}## or ##0\mathbf{i}+0\mathbf{j}##
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I suggest you parametrise each segment and explicitly compute the integrals. Pay particular attention to the integration directions.
 
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...
Back
Top