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Stokes' Theorem

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75 views2 pages

Stokes' Theorem

Uploaded by

forbangbang7
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Certainly!

Stokes’ theorem is a powerful tool in vector calculus that provides a relationship between surface
integrals and line integrals. It essentially states that the integral of a vector field over the boundary of a surface is
equal to the integral of the curl of the vector field over the surface itself.

Here’s the formal statement of Stokes’ theorem:

$$ \oint_C \mathbf{F} \cdot d\mathbf{r} = \iint_S (\nabla \times \mathbf{F}) \cdot d\mathbf{S} $$

Where:

( C ) is the closed curve bounding the surface ( S ).


( \mathbf{F} ) is a vector field.
( d\mathbf{r} ) is a vector tangent to ( C ) pointing in the direction of traversal.
( \nabla \times \mathbf{F} ) represents the curl of ( \mathbf{F} ).
( d\mathbf{S} ) is a vector normal to the surface ( S ) with magnitude equal to the area of an infinitesimal
piece of ( S ).

The theorem is used to convert a difficult surface integral into a simpler line integral or vice versa. It’s particularly
useful in physics and engineering, especially in areas like fluid dynamics and electromagnetism.

To apply Stokes’ theorem, you need to follow these steps:

1. Ensure that the surface ( S ) is smooth and oriented, with a positively oriented boundary ( C ).
2. Calculate the curl of the vector field ( \mathbf{F} ).
3. Evaluate the line integral of ( \mathbf{F} ) around ( C ) or the surface integral of ( \nabla \times \mathbf{F}
) over ( S ), depending on the given conditions.

Would you like to go through an example problem to see how Stokes’ theorem is applied in practice?
Certainly! To prove Stokes’ theorem, we’ll go through the proof conceptually and step by step. The proof involves
several advanced calculus concepts, so I’ll try to keep it as clear as possible.

Step 1: Parametrization of the Surface First, we need to parametrize the surface ( S ) over which we are
integrating. This means we express the surface in terms of two parameters, usually ( u ) and ( v ). For example, if
( S ) is a sphere, we could use spherical coordinates as our parameters.

Step 2: Boundary Curve Orientation The boundary curve ( C ) of the surface ( S ) must be oriented positively
with respect to ( S ). This means that if you walk along ( C ) in the direction of the orientation, the surface ( S )
should always be on your left.

Step 3: Expressing the Line Integral The line integral around ( C ) can be expressed in terms of the
parametrization of ( C ). If ( \mathbf{r}(t) ) is a vector function that traces out ( C ), then the line integral is: $$
\oint_C \mathbf{F} \cdot d\mathbf{r} = \int_a^b \mathbf{F}(\mathbf{r}(t)) \cdot \mathbf{r}'(t) dt $$ where ( a )
and ( b ) are the parameter limits for ( C ).

Step 4: Applying Green’s Theorem Green’s theorem relates a line integral around a simple closed curve in the
plane to a double integral over the region enclosed by the curve. We can apply Green’s theorem to the projection
of ( S ) onto a plane. This step is where the magic happens, as it connects the line integral to a double integral over
the surface.

Step 5: Relating to the Curl of the Vector Field The double integral over the surface ( S ) can be related to the
curl of the vector field ( \mathbf{F} ). This involves calculating the curl and expressing it in terms of the surface
parametrization.

Step 6: Final Expression After applying Green’s theorem and relating the integrals to the curl of ( \mathbf{F} ),
we arrive at the final expression of Stokes’ theorem, which equates the line integral around ( C ) to the surface
integral of the curl of ( \mathbf{F} ) over ( S ).

Example: Let’s consider a vector field ( \mathbf{F} = xz\hat{i} + yz\hat{j} + xy\hat{k} ), and let ( S ) be the part
of the sphere ( x^2 + y^2 + z^2 = 4 ) that lies inside the cylinder ( x^2 + y^2 = 1 ) and above the xy-plane. We
would calculate the curl of ( \mathbf{F} ), parametrize ( S ), and then evaluate the surface integral of the curl over
( S ) and the line integral around ( C ) to show they are equal.

This is a conceptual overview of the proof. For a detailed step-by-step proof with all the mathematical rigor, you
might want to consult a calculus textbook or a detailed online resource like those found on BYJU’S or
Mathematics LibreTexts. These resources will provide you with the full proof and examples that you can follow
along with.

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