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26 views3 pages

VFC 1

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Giuseppe
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Vector Calculus: Example Sheet 1

David Tong, January 2024

We will have covered the necessary material to do attempt all these questions by the
end of lecture 7.

1. Sketch the curve in the plane given parametrically by

x(t) = (a cos3 t, a sin3 t), 0 ≤ t ≤ 2π.

Calculate ẋ(t) at each point and hence find its total length.

2. A circular helix is given by

x(t) = (a cos t, a sin t, ct), t ∈ R.

Calculate the tangent t, curvature κ, principal normal n, binormal b and torsion τ .


Give a sketch of the curve indicating the directions of the vectors {t, n, b}.

3. Show that a planar curve x(t) = (x(t), y(t), 0) has curvature

|ẋÿ − ẏẍ|
κ(t) = .
(ẋ2 + ẏ 2 )3/2

Find the minimum and maximum values of the curvature on the ellipse

x2 y 2
+ 2 =1
a2 b

4. Evaluate explicitly each of the line integrals


Z Z Z
y dx − x dy + ex+y dz

(x dx + y dy + z dz) , (y dx + x dy + dz) ,

along (i) the straight line path from the origin to (1, 1, 1), and (ii) the parabolic path
given parametrically by (x, y, z) = (t, t, t2 ) from t = 0 to t = 1. For which of these
integrals do the two paths give the same results, and why?

1
5. Consider the vector fields F(x) = (3x2 yz 2 , 2x3 yz, x3 z 2 ) and G(x) = (3x2 y 2 z, 2x3 yz, x3 y 2 ).
R R
Compute the line integrals F · dx and G · dx along the following paths, each of
which consist of straight line segments joining the specified points:

(i) (0, 0, 0) → (1, 1, 1),

(ii) (0, 0, 0) → (0, 0, 1) → (0, 1, 1) → (1, 1, 1),

(iii) (0, 0, 0) → (1, 0, 0) → (1, 1, 0) → (1, 1, 1).

Are either of the differentials F · dx or G · dx exact?

6. A curve C is given parametrically by

x(t) = (cos(sin nt) cos t , cos(sin nt) sin t , sin(sin nt)) 0 ≤ t ≤ 2π,

where n is some fixed integer. Sketch the curve. Show that


I  
y x
F · dx = 2π, where F(x) = − 2 , ,0
C x + y 2 x2 + y 2

and C is traversed in the direction of increasing t. Can F(x) be written as the gradient
of a scalar function? Comment on your results.
[Hint: when sketching the curve, you may find it helpful to use spherical polar
coordinates, defined by x = r sin θ cos φ, y = r sin θ sin φ and z = r cos θ with θ ∈ [0, π]
and φ ∈ [0, 2π).]

7. Use the substitution x = r cos φ, y = 21 r sin φ, to evaluate

x2
Z
dA
D x2 + 4y 2

where D is the region between the two ellipses x2 + 4y 2 = 1, x2 + 4y 2 = 4.

8. A closed curve C in the z = 0 plane consists of the arc of the parabola y 2 = 4ax
(a > 0) between the points (a, ±2a) and the straight line joining (a, ∓2a). The area
inclosed by C is D. Show, by calculating the integrals explicitly, that
I Z
104 4
x y dx + xy dy = (y 2 − x2 ) dA =
2 2

a
C D 105

2
9. The region D is bounded by the segments x = 0, 0 ≤ y ≤ 1; y = 0, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1; y =
1, 0 ≤ x ≤ 43 , and by an arc of the parabola y 2 = 4(1 − x). Consider a mapping into the
(x, y)-plane from the (u, v)-plane defined by the transformation x = u2 − v 2 , y = 2uv.
Sketch D and also the two regions in the (u, v)-plane which are mapped into it. Hence
evaluate
Z
dA
D (x2 + y 2 )1/2

10. Compute the volume of a cone of height h and radius a using (a) cylindrical polars,
(b) spherical polars.

11. By using a suitable change of variables, calculate the volume within an ellipsoid

x2 y 2 z 2
+ 2 + 2 ≤ 1.
a2 b c

12*. Compute the volume of the region V defined by the intersection of the three
cylinders

V = {(x, y, z) ∈ R3 : x2 + y 2 ≤ 1, y 2 + z 2 ≤ 1, z 2 + x2 ≤ 1}.

[Warning: The sole purpose of this question is to show you that volume integrals can
be arbitrarily hard. Only attempt if that’s your thing.]

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