13.5 Curl and Divergence
13.5 Curl and Divergence
13.5 Curl and Divergence
Curl
Let = , , be a vector field on 3 and assume the partial derivatives
of , and all exist.
Let =
, ,
( x2
x
P
y
Q
Ry Q z , Pz Rx ,Qx Py
z
R
Let F( x, y, z )
Example 1:
F=
F=
xyz, x 2 2 yz, x 2
P
y 2 z 2 .Find curl F.
R
x
y
z
xyz x 2 2 yz x 2 y 2 z 2
y2
2y 2y i
z2 )
( x 2 2 yz ) i
2 x xy j
2 x xz k
( x2
y2
z2 )
0, xy 2 x,2 x xz
( xyz ) j
( x 2 2 yz )
( xyz ) k
Curl
Example 2: Let F , , = , , . Evaluate curl .
F=
x
x
z
z
( z)
( y) i
( z)
( x) j
( y)
( x) k
0,0,0
fx
fy
fz
f zy
f yz , f xz
f zx , f yx
f xy
0,0,0
Clairauts Theorem
Curl
The converse of Theorem 1 is also true if we assume the domain of the vector
field is simply connected (in particular, the whole 3 )
Theorem 2:
If is a vector field on all of 3 with continuous partial derivatives and
= , then is a conservative vector field.
REMARKS:
1. Theorem 2 provides a quick and easy way to check whether a 3D vector
field is conservative.
2.
3.
Curl Example 3
a)
curl F =
F=
x
y
z
y x z y 6z
1 1i
0 j
1 1) k
= +
Integrate w.r.t
= + 6
, , = + (, )
differentiate w.r.t
= + (, ) = +
, =
g , = + ()
, , = + + ()
differentiate w.r.t
= + () = + 6
, , = + + 3 2 +
= 6
= 3 2 +
(0,0,0)
Fundamental Theorem for Line Integrals:
C
F dr
f (3,1,4) f (0,0,0)
3(1) 4(1) 3 42
55
Curl
Interpreting the curl: If we think of the vector field as a velocity vector field of a
fluid in motion, the curl measures rotation.
At a given point, the curl is a vector parallel to the axis of rotation of flow lines
near the point, with direction determined by the Right Hand Rule.
Example 4: Determine whether the curl of each vector field at the origin is the
zero vector or points in the same direction as i, j, k.
(a)
Based on the direction of the rotation and the Right Hand Rule,
the curl will point in the = 0,0, 1 direction.
(c)
Divergence
Let F( x, y, z ) P( x, y, z ), Q( x, y, z ), R( x, y, z) be a differentiable vector field
on a region in 3 .
, ,
Let =
div F =
F=
(a scalar)
P, Q, R
P
x
Q
y
R
z
e xyz
( yz sin x )
( x2
y2 z2 )
( y)
( z) 1 1 1
Divergence
Interpreting the Divergence: The divergence at a given point measures
the net flow out of a small box around the point, that is, it measures what
is produced (source) or consumed (sink) at a given point in space.
Example 7: Determine whether the divergence of each vector field at the
indicated point P is positive, negative or zero
(a)
(c)