Surface Integral for Curl of Vector Field V over a Parametrized Triangle

In summary, this person asked for help on how to do surface integrals, and then provided a summary of the content. They explained that the surface integrals are of the curl of a function over the triangle with vertices (1,0,0), (0,3,0), (0,0,2), where V is (zx^2, 2yz, 0). They calculated the integral of V over the closed path around the triangle and got -35/6. They then verified that their limits were over the triangular region in the xy plane and that the inner upper limit wouldn't be constant.
  • #1
theneedtoknow
176
0
I asked for some help on how to do surface integrals, and this is what I understood from that applied to a question, which i am getting the wrong answer to, so can someone please let me know which part of this I am doing wrong?

I need to find the integral of the curl of V, over the triangle with vertices (1,0,0), (0,3,0), (0,0,2), where V = (zx^2, 2yz, 0)

So the curl of V is (-2y, x^2, 0)
the surface parametrized is x = 1-s-t, y=3s, z=2t
so I need to dot the curl of V with d(1-s-t,3s,2t)/ds cross d(1-s-t,3s,2t)/dt = (-1,3,0)cross(-1,0,2) = (6, 2, 3)

So I have to integrate (-2(3s) , (1-t-s)^2, 0) dot (6, 2, 3) dsdt from s=0 to s=1 and from z=0 to z = 1

This is the double integral of (-36s + 2 -4t -4s + 4ts + 2t^2 + 2s^2) = (2-40s-4t+4ts+2t^2+2s^2) for s,t going from 0 to 1
but when i do this integral, i get -53/3

I have done the integral of V over the closed path around the triangle, and got -35/6
By stokes theorem these should be equal, and I am pretty sure my path integrals are correct at -35/6, so I must be doing something wrong with the surface integral. Please help!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
I haven't checked all your arithmetic, but almost certainly your limits for s and t are wrong. Why use such a non-intuitive parameterization? Your surface is just a plane:

[tex]\frac x 1 + \frac y 3 + \frac z 2 = 1[/tex]

or

[tex]z = 2 - 2x -\frac 2 3 y[/tex]

so it would be very natural to use, for example, x and y as parameters:

[tex]\vec R(x,y) = \langle x, y, 2 - 2x -\frac 2 3 y\rangle[/tex]

Use that to calculate your dS in terms of dx and dy and your limits will be over the triangular region in the xy plane. The inner upper limit won't be constant.
 
  • #3
thank you very much :)
 

Related to Surface Integral for Curl of Vector Field V over a Parametrized Triangle

What is a surface integral?

A surface integral is a type of integration that is used to calculate the flux of a vector field across a two-dimensional surface. It measures the amount of flow through a surface in a given direction.

What is the formula for calculating a surface integral?

The formula for calculating a surface integral is ∫∫S F(x,y,z) · dS, where S represents the surface, F(x,y,z) is the vector field, and dS is the infinitesimal element of the surface.

What is the difference between a surface integral and a line integral?

A surface integral is used to calculate the flux across a two-dimensional surface, while a line integral is used to calculate the work along a one-dimensional path. Additionally, surface integrals involve integrating over an area, while line integrals involve integrating over a curve.

What are some real-life applications of surface integrals?

Surface integrals have many applications in physics and engineering. They are used to calculate the flux of electric and magnetic fields, the flow of fluids, and the surface area of three-dimensional objects. They are also used in computer graphics to calculate the illumination of surfaces.

What are some common techniques for solving surface integrals?

Some common techniques for solving surface integrals include using parametric equations to represent the surface, converting the integral into a double integral, and using the divergence theorem or Stokes' theorem to simplify the calculation. It is also important to choose an appropriate coordinate system based on the symmetry of the surface and the vector field.

Similar threads

  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
412
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
9
Views
192
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
824
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
3
Views
1K
Replies
5
Views
1K
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
181
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
3
Views
1K
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
12
Views
1K
Back
Top