Department of Physics, IIT-Kanpur

Instructors: TKG & RM PHY113 (2025 Summer) Problem Set 1

1. a) Consider the following function:

f (x, y) = exp[−(2x − 3)2 − (3y + 5)2 ].

i) Determine the location(s) at which f (x, y) is maximum/minimum. What is the maxi-

mum/minimum value of the function f (x, y)? ii) In what direction is the slope steepest at
the point (1,1)? iii) What is the rate of change of f (x, y) at the point (1,1) in the direction
n = (xî + y ĵ)?
b) Given a vector R = î(x − x′ ) + ĵ(y − y ′ ) + k̂(z − z ′ ), show that ∇r R (gradient with respect
to x, y and z coordinates) is a unit vector parallel to R. Here, R = |R|.
c) Find the directional derivative of the function ϕ(x, y, z) = 3x3 + 2xy 2 + xyz along the
direction N = î + 2ĵ + 2k̂ at the point (1,1,1).

2. Find the scaler function ϕ(x, y, z) whose gradient is A = ∇ϕ = (2xy + z 3 )î + x2 ĵ + 3xz 2 k̂.

3. Calculate ∇ · E for E = r/rn . Here r = xî + y ĵ + z k̂ and n = 0, ±1, ±2, ... Comment on
n = 3 case.

4. Show that ∇ · (f A) = f ∇ · A + A · ∇f for any scaler function f (x, y, z).

5. Find a unit normal vector to the surface 2xy 2 z − x2 yz 2 = 1 at the point (1, 1, 1).

6. Show that ∇ × (∇ϕ) = 0 for any scaler function ϕ(x, y, z) and ∇ · (∇ × A) = 0 for any
vector function A(x, y, z).
b) Consider A(x, y, z) = (−y î + xĵ)/2 and the arbitrary scaler function f (x, y, z). Show that

(∇ + A) × (∇ + A)f = (∇ × A)f = f k̂

and
∂
2 ∂ 
 (x2 + y 2 )
(∇ + A) · (∇ + A)f = ∇ f + x −y f+ f.
∂y ∂x 4
7. Calculate the Laplacian of the following functions: i) ϕ(x, y, z) = sin(ax) sin(by) sin(cz) with
a, b and c are constants ii) ϕ(x, y, z) = e−5z sin(4y) cos(3z).

8. Suppose V = ω × r, where ω is a constant vector. Show that ω = 21 [∇ × V].

9. Find A vector function A(x, y, z) whose curl is B = ∇ × A = B k̂. You will get different
forms of A whsoe curl gives the same value.

10. Show that if f (x, y, z) is any solution of Laplace’s equation ∇2 f = 0, then E = ∇f is a

vector that is both solenoidal (∇ · E = 0) and irrotational (∇ × E = 0).

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11. a) Calculate the line integral of the vector A = x2 î + 2yz ĵ + y 2 k̂ from the origin to the point
(1,1,1) by three different paths:
(i) (0, 0, 0) → (1, 0, 0) → (1, 1, 0) → (1, 1, 1)
(ii) (0, 0, 0) → (0, 1, 0) → (0, 1, 1) → (1, 1, 1)
(iii) the direct straight line.
b) What is the line integral around the closed loop that goes out along path (i) and back
along path (ii).
12. Calculate C A · dl and S (∇ × A) · da for the vector A = xy î + 2yz ĵ + 3xz k̂, using the
H R

triangular area on yz plane as shown in Figure 1. Here, C is the positively oriented contour
and S is the surface area enclosed by the contour C.
z
2

2 y
x

Figure 1: Triangular contour on yz plane.

13. a) A vector function is given by A = (−y î + xĵ)/2. Verify the Stokes’ theorem using open
surface of the northern/southern hemisphere and its base lying on the xy plane with the
origin at the center of the base. You will see that the result does not depend on the surface
you are considering.

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14. Calculate the surface integral S A · da for A = (2x + z 2 )î + (y 2 + sin2 xz)ĵ + (xz + y 2 e−x )k̂
H

over the surface of a cubical box 0 ≤ x ≤ 1, 0 ≤ y ≤ 1, 0 ≤ z ≤ 1.

Answer: It is easy to calculate the volume integral of ∇ · A and use Gauss’s divergence
theorem. The final answer is 7/2.
15. Calculate the divergence for V = r cos θ r̂ + r sin θ θ̂ + r sin θ cos ϕ ϕ̂. Check the divergence
theorem for the vector function over the volume of an inverted hemisphere of radius R,
resting on the xy plane and centered at the origin (Figure 2).
16. Calculate the line integral of V = (r cos2 θ) r̂ − (r cos θ sin θ) θ̂ + 3r ϕ̂ around the path shown
in Figure 3. The points are labelled by their Cartesian coordinates. Do it in spherical polar
coordinates. Verify the Stokes’ theorem.

17. a) Evaluate curl of the vector function B = ϕ̂/s everywhere. Here ϕ and s are cylindrical
variables. [Hint: Use Stoke’s theorem].
b) Evaluate the surface integral
Z h ϕ̂ i
J= e−s ∇ × · da,
S s

2
 Curved surface

flat surface

Figure 2:
Z

(0,1,1)

Y
(1,0,0) (0,1,0)

Figure 3:

where S is the surface of a circular disk of radius R, centered at origin: i) using the Stokes’
theorem and performing the line integral and ii) using Dirac delta function. [Hint: Use the
vector identity ∇ × (f A) = (∇f ) × A + f ∇ × A. Identify the scaler function f and the
vector A.]

18. The gradient operator in spherical coordinates is given by

∂ 1 ∂ 1 ∂
∇ = r̂ + θ̂ + ϕ̂ .
∂r r ∂θ r sin θ ∂ϕ
Calculate ∇ · (∇f ), where f = f (r, θ, ϕ) is any scaler function. Note: The partial
∂ ∂
derivatives ∂θ and ∂ϕ in the left-hand ∇ operator act on the unit vectors r̂, θ̂, ϕ̂
of right-hand ∇ operator.

19. Write down the volume charge density using the Dirac delta function for the following
configurations: a) The charge Q is uniformly distributed over a spherical shell of radius R.
b) The charge Q is uniformly distributed on a ring of radius R, which is lying on the xy
plane with its center at the origin. (write in both cylindrical and spherical coordinates)

20. Sketch the following function

1 2 2
g(x) = lim √ e−x /ϵ .
ϵ→0 πϵ
R∞
Show that −∞ g(x)dx = 1.

21. Plot the following function:

1
f (x) = lim+ ,
t→0 e(x−b)/t +1

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where b is any real constant. Express f (x) in terms of the unit step function θ(x). [Hint:
first evaluate the function at any point in the two different regions: x < b, x > b
and at the point x = b. Take the limit after evaluating the function.]