Path Independence in Line Integrals: Simplifying Evaluation | Problem Attached

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the evaluation of line integrals and the concept of path independence in vector fields. The original poster presents a problem involving the parametrization of a line integral and expresses difficulty in simplifying the expression before integration.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to demonstrate path independence through the equality of mixed partial derivatives and raises concerns about the complexity of the parametrization. Some participants suggest evaluating the integral numerically or using different paths, while others mention the Fundamental Theorem for Line Integrals as a potential approach. There is also a mention of an answer key that indicates a simpler method involving a function evaluation rather than direct integration.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active with various approaches being explored. Participants are considering different methods for evaluating the integral and questioning the implications of path independence on the simplification process. There is no explicit consensus on the best approach yet, but several viable directions have been suggested.

Contextual Notes

The original poster expresses uncertainty about the relationship between path independence and the simplification of the line integral evaluation. There may be constraints related to the specific problem setup and the methods available for solving it.

DryRun
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Homework Statement


I have attached the problem to the post.

Homework Equations


Properties of line integral. Path independence.

The Attempt at a Solution


I have shown that the path is independent, as:
[tex]\partial P/\partial y = \partial Q/\partial x[/tex]
The problem is with the parametrization. I found ##dx/dt## and ##dy/dt## and replaced into the line integral as well as x and y, so i have the line integral in terms of ##t## only. But the expansion becomes such a mess. I don't know if there's some simplification to be done, before integrating w.r.t.t. If not, then I'm stuck. I have a doubt that the path being independent has something to do with the simplification of the evaluation of line integral, but i can't figure how.
 

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It looks like you need to either evaluate the integral using the original contour numerically or choose a different path to make the integral doable.
 
... or you could use the Fundamental Theorem for Line Integrals.
 
I got the answer key for this today and it involves using the 3rd theorem of line integrals, which converts the line integral into a function, ##\phi (x,y)## and then just evaluate that function over the limits by calculating the two sets of points in terms of x and y. No integration required! At least, not to get the final solution. It's surprising, as the answer is very short.
 

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