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The Solenoidal Vector Field

A solenoidal vector field is a vector field whose divergence is always equal to zero. Solenoidal vector fields have several key properties: (1) Every solenoidal field can be expressed as the curl of some other vector field; (2) The curl of any vector field results in a solenoidal field; (3) The surface integral of a solenoidal field across any closed surface is equal to zero due to its zero divergence. Solenoidal vector fields are also known as divergenceless fields.

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2K views4 pages

The Solenoidal Vector Field

A solenoidal vector field is a vector field whose divergence is always equal to zero. Solenoidal vector fields have several key properties: (1) Every solenoidal field can be expressed as the curl of some other vector field; (2) The curl of any vector field results in a solenoidal field; (3) The surface integral of a solenoidal field across any closed surface is equal to zero due to its zero divergence. Solenoidal vector fields are also known as divergenceless fields.

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ilg1
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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9/16/2005

The Solenoidal Vector Field.doc

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The Solenoidal Vector Field


1. We of course recall that a conservative vector field C ( r ) can be identified from its curl, which is always equal to zero:
xC ( r ) = 0

Similarly, there is another type of vector field S ( r ) , called a solenoidal field, whose divergence is always equal to zero:

S (r ) = 0

Moreover, we find that only solenoidal vector have zero divergence! Thus, zero divergence is a test for determining if a given vector field is solenoidal. We sometimes refer to a solenoidal field as a divergenceless field. 2. Recall that another characteristic of a conservative vector field is that it can be expressed as the gradient of some scalar field (i.e., C ( r ) = g ( r ) ).

Jim Stiles

The Univ. of Kansas

Dept. of EECS

9/16/2005

The Solenoidal Vector Field.doc

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Solenoidal vector fields have a similar characteristic! Every solenoidal vector field can be expressed as the curl of some other vector field (say A ( r ) ).

S ( r ) = xA ( r )

Additionally, we find that only solenoidal vector fields can be expressed as the curl of some other vector field. Note this means that:

The curl of any vector field always results in a solenoidal field!

Note if we combine these two previous equations, we get a vector identity:


xA ( r ) = 0

a result that is always true for any and every vector field A ( r ) . Note this result is analogous to the identify derived from conservative fields: x g ( r ) = 0 for all scalar fields g ( r ) .
Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

9/16/2005

The Solenoidal Vector Field.doc

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3. Now, lets recall the divergence theorem:

A (r )dv = A (r ) ds V S
If the vector field A ( r ) is solenoidal, we can write this theorem as:

S (r )dv = S (r ) ds V S

But of course, the divergence of a solenoidal field is zero ( S ( r ) = 0 )! As a result, the left side of the divergence theorem is zero, and we can conclude that:

S (r ) ds = 0 S
In other words the surface integral of any and every solenoidal vector field across a closed surface is equal to zero. Note this result is analogous to evaluating a line integral of a conservative field over a closed contour

C (r ) d C

=0

Jim Stiles

The Univ. of Kansas

Dept. of EECS

9/16/2005

The Solenoidal Vector Field.doc

4/4

Lets summarize what we know about solenoidal vector fields:

1. Every solenoidal field can be expressed as the curl of some other vector field. 2. The curl of any and all vector fields always results in a solenoidal vector field. 3. The surface integral of a solenoidal field across any closed surface is equal to zero. 4. The divergence of every solenoidal vector field is equal to zero. 5. The divergence of a vector field is zero only if it is solenoidal.

Jim Stiles

The Univ. of Kansas

Dept. of EECS

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