Surface integral, grad, and stokes theorem

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around vector calculus, specifically focusing on surface integrals, Stokes' theorem, and gradient calculations. The original poster presents three distinct problems related to these topics, seeking clarification and verification of their attempts.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to compute a surface integral over a hemispherical cap and questions their results. They also seek to apply Stokes' theorem to find the area enclosed by a closed curve and express confusion regarding the parametrization of an ellipse. Additionally, they inquire about calculating the gradient of a scalar field, expressing uncertainty about the application of the chain rule.

Discussion Status

Some participants encourage the original poster to share their work for better guidance. Hints are provided regarding the use of spherical coordinates for the surface integral and the curl of a vector field for Stokes' theorem. There is an acknowledgment of the original poster's attempts, with some participants expressing concern about potential errors in their calculations.

Contextual Notes

The original poster expresses a desire for confirmation of their answers and mentions that their textbook has limited examples, which may contribute to their uncertainty. There is also a note of confusion regarding the correct application of the chain rule in the context of gradients.

trelek2
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Hi
I'm practicing for my exam but I totally suck at the vector fields stuff.
I have three questions:


1.
Compute the surface integral

[tex]\int_{}^{} F \cdot dS[/tex]

F vector is=(x,y,z)
dS is the area differential
Calculate the integral over a hemispherical cap defined by [tex]x ^{2}+y ^{2}+z ^{2}=b ^{2}[/tex] for z>0

2.
If C is a closed curve in the x-y plane use Stokes theorem to show that area enclosed by C is given by:
[tex]S= \frac{1}{2} \oint_{}^{C}(xdy-ydx)[/tex]
I don't see how :(
And then use it to obtain the area S enclose by ellipse [tex]\frac{x ^{2} }{a ^{2} }+ \frac{y ^{2} }{b ^{2} } =1[/tex]. Use the folowing parametrisation: vector r=[tex]acos \phi _{x}+bsin \phi _{y}[/tex] I also can't get PI*a*b...

3. (probably the easiest one)
Calculate grad of scalar field
(a dot r)/r^2
Where a is a constant vector, r is simply the vector (x,y,z). Supposed to use the chain rule...

Thanks in advance for any help. Please also include the answers to 1 and 3 as my book has very few examples and i want to be sure that what I'm doing is correct:)
 
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Hi trelek2, we are not here to do your homework (or homework-like problems) for you.

Why not make an attempt at each problem and post your work so we can see where you are getting stuck?:smile:

As a hint for problem 1, the integration is easiest in spherical coordinates.
 
I already did 1 and 3, however I'm worried they might be wrong. I got 2Pi*b^2 in the first one. I did use spherical polar coordinates and computed dS by taking the corss product of dr/dphi and dr/dtheta. Then just integration.
And in 3 i get vector a divided by length r... I guess its just one step, I don't know if I'm using the chain rule correctly.
As for 2 I have no clue what to do. I guess curl sth?
 
trelek2 said:
I already did 1 and 3, however I'm worried they might be wrong. I got 2Pi*b^2 in the first one. I did use spherical polar coordinates and computed dS by taking the corss product of dr/dphi and dr/dtheta. Then just integration.

Your method looks good, but you somehow got the wrong answer...you'd b etter post you calculations so I can see where you went wrong...

And in 3 i get vector a divided by length r... I guess its just one step, I don't know if I'm using the chain rule correctly.

You should be getting [tex]\frac{\vec{a}-2(\vec{a}\cdot\hat{r})\hat{r}}{r^2}[/tex], so you must be applying the chain rule incorrectly...again, post your calculations and I'll be able to see where you are going wrong.

As for 2 I have no clue what to do. I guess curl sth?

As a hint, [itex]\vec{\nabla}\times(-y\hat{x}+x\hat{y})[/itex]=____?
 
alright, great thanks. 2 works fine. The answer to 3 seems obvious now that I see it. So for ex:
grad r^n will be for example nr^(n-2)*r-vector, right?
If your saying the method is right maybe I did get the right answer in 1. As a matter of fact I got 2Pi*b^3, but copied into here incorrectly. If that's still incorrect I totally give up and I'll have to copy all the calculations in here. Thanks again
 
trelek2 said:
alright, great thanks. 2 works fine. The answer to 3 seems obvious now that I see it. So for ex:
grad r^n will be for example nr^(n-2)*r-vector, right?
Yep.:smile:

If your saying the method is right maybe I did get the right answer in 1. As a matter of fact I got 2Pi*b^3, but copied into here incorrectly. If that's still incorrect I totally give up and I'll have to copy all the calculations in here. Thanks again

Your answer is still incorrect; better post your calculation...

EDIT: Your answer is correct: when I first read the problem statement, I had thought that the surface was the entire sphere, re-reading it I see that it is only the z>0 hemisphere.
 
Last edited:

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