Where is pi/4 coming from in the line integral?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the origin of the angle pi/4 in a line integral, specifically in section 3 of the problem. Participants are exploring the context of spherical coordinates and the implications of using different coordinate systems for the integral.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster questions the validity of pi/4 as an angle in the context of the line integral, suggesting that it should be related to a tangent function with a specific angle. Other participants discuss the use of cylindrical versus Cartesian coordinates and the conventions of angles in spherical coordinates.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively questioning the assumptions regarding the angles and coordinate systems. Some hints have been provided regarding the use of cylindrical coordinates for certain parts of the problem, but there is no explicit consensus on the interpretation of the angle pi/4.

Contextual Notes

There are indications of confusion regarding the conventions of angles in spherical coordinates, particularly whether the definitions align with standard practices. The original poster expresses uncertainty about the angle's appropriateness in the given context.

garylau
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Moved from a technical forum, so homework template missing
Sorry

where is pi/4 coming from in the line integral(section 3)?

because i think it should be 1/2=tan(theta) which theta is 26.5651...

it is impossible that the angle is pi/4? where is pi/4 coming from inside the circle?

thank
 

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Hm, I don't know what ##\theta## is. Also this should be posted in the home-work section of these forums. Thus I give only a hint:

I'd only do the quarter circle in cylindrical coordinates. All other parts of the path are very easily done in Cartesian ones. To give more specific hints, I'd need to know the conventions used concerning the angles (are ##\theta## and ##\phi## interchanged compared to the standard choice of spherical coordinates with ##\theta## the polar and ##\phi## the azimuthal angle?).
 
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vanhees71 said:
Hm, I don't know what ##\theta## is. Also this should be posted in the home-work section of these forums. Thus I give only a hint:

I'd only do the quarter circle in cylindrical coordinates. All other parts of the path are very easily done in Cartesian ones. To give more specific hints, I'd need to know the conventions used concerning the angles (are ##\theta## and ##\phi## interchanged compared to the standard choice of spherical coordinates with ##\theta## the polar and ##\phi## the azimuthal angle?).
in section 3
which is the part of the straight line toward z axis
i think the angle should not be pi/4?

this is spherical coordinate
 
Ok, I assume that you have the standard definition of spherical coordinates with the ##z## axis as the polar axis, as
$$\begin{pmatrix}x\\y\\z \end{pmatrix}=r \begin{pmatrix} \cos \varphi \sin \vartheta \\ \sin \varphi \sin \vartheta \\ \cos \vartheta \end{pmatrix}.$$
Then the straight line parallel to the ##z## axis is at ##\varphi=\pi/2=\text{const}##. Otherwise it's awful to describe in spherical coordinates.
For the quarter-circle it's easy to use spherical coordinates, it's given by ##\vartheta=\pi/2##, ##\varphi \in [0,\pi/2]##, ##r=1##.
For the straight lines I'd use Cartesian coordinates, where they are expressed straight forwardly. It's easy to rewrite the field in terms of Cartesian coordinates. Just note that
$$\hat{r}=\begin{pmatrix} \cos \varphi \sin \vartheta \\ \sin \varphi \sin \vartheta \\ \cos \vartheta \end{pmatrix}, \quad \hat{\vartheta}=\begin{pmatrix} \cos \varphi \cos \vartheta \\ \sin \varphi \cos \vartheta \\ - \sin \vartheta \end{pmatrix}, \quad \hat{\varphi}=\begin{pmatrix} -\sin \varphi \\ \cos \varphi \\0 \end{pmatrix}.$$
 
garylau said:
Where is pi/4 coming from in the line integral(section 3)?

because i think it should be 1/2=tan(theta) which theta is 26.5651...
You're right. It's a mistake.
 
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