Surface integral, grad, and stokes theorem

In summary: I should have read the problem more carefully, sorry for the confusion.In summary, Trelek2 struggled with the first question but was able to solve the second and third with some help from online resources. He is unsure about the first problem.
  • #1
trelek2
88
0
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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  • #2
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.
 
  • #3
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?
 
  • #4
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]=____?
 
  • #5
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
 
  • #6
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:

1. What is a surface integral?

A surface integral is a mathematical calculation that involves integrating a function over a two-dimensional surface. It is used to find the total flux, or flow, of a vector field through a surface.

2. What is the gradient?

The gradient is a vector operator that represents the rate of change of a function with respect to its spatial coordinates. It is often used in physics and engineering to calculate the direction and magnitude of a physical quantity, such as temperature or pressure.

3. What is Stokes' theorem?

Stokes' theorem is a powerful mathematical tool that relates a surface integral to a line integral. It states that the line integral of a vector field over a closed curve is equal to the surface integral of the curl of the same vector field over the surface enclosed by the curve.

4. How is the surface integral related to the divergence theorem?

The surface integral is closely related to the divergence theorem, also known as Gauss's theorem. Both theorems involve integrating a vector field over a surface, but the divergence theorem specifically relates the surface integral to the volume integral of the divergence of the vector field over the region enclosed by the surface.

5. Where are surface integrals, gradients, and Stokes' theorem used?

Surface integrals, gradients, and Stokes' theorem are used in many fields of science and engineering, such as fluid dynamics, electromagnetism, and heat transfer. They are also important in mathematical fields like differential geometry and partial differential equations.

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