Stokes Thm - don't undestand this question fully

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around Stokes' Theorem and its application to a specific problem involving line and double integrals. The original poster is tasked with demonstrating that the area of a surface S can be expressed as a line integral around a curve C, specifically for an ellipse defined by parametric equations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to compute the line integral and the double integral as per the theorem, expressing confusion over their calculations and interpretations of the problem. Some participants encourage sharing calculations to clarify the approach.

Discussion Status

The conversation is ongoing, with the original poster reflecting on their calculations and expressing uncertainty about their interpretation of the question. Participants are engaging by asking for further details and calculations, indicating a collaborative effort to understand the problem.

Contextual Notes

The original poster notes discrepancies in their calculations and seeks confirmation on their understanding of the problem setup, indicating potential confusion about the application of Stokes' Theorem in this context.

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Stokes Thm - I don't undestand this question fully

Question:
In Stoke's law, let [itex]v_1 = -y[/itex] and [itex]v_2 = 0[/itex] to show that the area of S equals the line integral [itex]-\int_C y\,\,\,dx[/itex] . Find the area of an ellipse ([itex]x = a \cos t[/itex], [itex]y = b \sin t[/itex], [itex]x^2/a^2+y^2/b^2 = 1[/itex], [itex]0 \leq t \leq 2\pi[/itex]).

It's asking me to do the following:
1) Compute the line integral [itex]-\int_C y\,\,\,dx[/itex] along an ellipse.
2) Compute [itex]\int \int_S curl \vec v\,\,\, dx\,dy[/itex] with the conditions: [itex]v_1 = -y[/itex] and [itex]v_2 = 0[/itex] along an ellipse.

And (1) should equal (2)?

This is how I'm interpretting the question, but my calculations are not agreeing. If my idea of how to interpret the question is correct I'll post my work. Thanks :)
 
Last edited:
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Yes, that's what it says. And it works out.
 
Show us your calculations.
 
Shoot. I was hoping I didn't understand the question :)
Ok.

So:

[tex]-\int_C y\,\,dx = -\int_C \vec F \cdot d\vec r[/tex]

[tex]\vec F = (y,0,0)[/tex]

[tex]\vec r = (a \cos t , b \sin t , 0 )[/tex]

[tex]0 \leq t \leq 2 \pi[/tex]

[tex]d\vec r = (-a \sin t , b \cos t , 0 ) dt[/tex]

-[tex]\int_0^{2\pi} (y)(-a \sin t )\,\, dt = \int_0^{2\pi}(b \sin t)(a \sin t)\,\, dt[/tex]

Damn. I should stop right there :( !
Last time I substituted [itex]y = a \sin t[/itex] so I was getting [itex]a^2 \pi[/itex] from the integral. Now it should come out to [itex]a b \pi[/itex] which IS the area of an ellipse, and is the same answer I'm geting for the double integral using Stoke's Thm...

well thanks for looking the question over for me :)
 
Last edited:

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