Lecture 12.

Path independence of line integrals in space -

Review of exercises

Multivariable calculus 2
MATH 324E - K72K SP TA
Hanoi National University of Education - 2024
Outlines

Review of exercises from Lecture 11

Independence of path
Exercises

Supplementary problems
Stokes’s theorem
Gauss’s theorem

Interpretation of the curl vector

Exercises

ZZ
11.1. Evaluate x 2 dydz + y 2 dzdx + z 2 dxdy , where S is the
S
boundary surface of the solid region B bounded by the surfaces z =
p
x 2 + y 2 , x 2 + y 2 = a2 and the plane z = 0.
11.2. Find the flux of the vector field F = x 3 i + y 3 j + z 3 k over
the sphere x 2 + y 2 + z 2 = a2 .
Exercises

11.3. Let F be a vector field given by

xi + yj + zk
F (x, y , z) = 3
.
(x 2 + y2 + z 2) 2

a) Find divF .Z Z
b) Calculate F · dS, where S is the surface
S

x2 y2 z2
+ 2 + 2 = 1.
a2 b c
Exercises

ZZ
11.4. Find [yi + xyj − zk] · dS , where S is the boundary of the
S
solid inside the cylinder x 2 + y 2 ≤ 1 between z = 0 and z = x 2 + y 2
, with the outward pointing orientation.
2z
ZZ
y
p
11.5. Find [log(x 2 +y 2 )i + arctan j +z x 2 + y 2 k]·dS,
x x
S
where S is the boundary of the solid {(x, y , z) : 1 ≤ x 2 + y 2 ≤
2, −1 ≤ z ≤ 2}.
Exercises

11.6. Let S be the hemisphere x 2 + y 2 + z 2 = 1, z ≤ 0 with the

orientation pointing toward the origin.
a)Describe the boundary of S and its orientation that is consistent
with the orientationZof
Z S.
b)Evaluate the flux ∇×F ·dS , where F (x, y , z) = 2yi +xj +zk.
S
 R
11.7. Use Stokes’ Theorem to evaluate C F · dr . In each case C
is oriented counterclockwise as viewed from above.
a) F = yzi + 2xzj + e xy k, C is the circle x 2 + y 2 = 16, z = 5.
b) F = −yi + x 2 j + zk, C is the curve of intersection of the
paraboloid z = 9 − x 2 − y 2 and the plane z = 0.
c) F = zi + xj + yk, C is the curve of intersection of the plane
x + y + z = a and the sphere x 2 + y 2 + z 2 = a2 . (Here C is
oriented counterclockwise as viewed from the point (a, a, a).)
Exercises

R
11.8. Use Stokes’ theorem to evaluate C F · dr , where F (x, y , z) =
(y 2 +z 2 )i +(z 2 +x 2 )j +(x 2 +y 2 )k and C is the curve of intersection
of the hemisphere x 2 + y 2 + z 2 = 4ax, z ≥ 0 and the cylinder
x 2 + y 2 = 2ax oriented counterclockwise as viewed from above.
Exercises

11. 9. Suppose the vector function F on a domain D is conservative.

Prove that ∇ × F = 0 everywhere in D.
−y x
11. 10. Let F (x, y , z) = 2 2
i+ 2 j, x 2 + y 2 ̸= 0.
x +y x + y2
a) Compute ∇ × F .
b) Prove that F is not conservative.
Theorem
If f is a function of three variables that has continuous
second-order partial derivatives, then

curl(∇f ) = 0.
Proof

Proof.
We have
i j k
∂ ∂ ∂
curl(∇f ) =∇ × (∇f ) = ∂x ∂y ∂z
∂f ∂f ∂f
∂x ∂y ∂z
2
∂ f 2
∂ f
2
∂ f ∂2f
∂2f ∂2f

= − i + − j+ − k
∂y ∂z ∂z∂y ∂z∂x ∂x∂z ∂x∂y ∂y ∂x
=0i + 0j + 0k = 0,

by Schwarz’s theorem.
Since a conservative vector field is one for which F = ∇g , Theorem
1 can be re phrased as follows: If F is conservative, then curl F = 0.
This gives us a way of verifying that a vector field is not conservative.
Definition
An open subset D of R3 is called simply connected if every simple
closed curve in D is the boundary of some surface contained
entirely in D.

Example
The region
D = {(x, y , z) : x 2 + y 2 + z 2 < 1}
is simply connected, while the region

R = {(x, y , z) : x 2 + y 2 > 1}

is not.
Theorem
Let F be defined in a simply connected region D. If
curl F = ∇ × F = 0 everywhere in D then F is indeed a
conservative vector field.

Proof.
We show that F is conservative by showing that the integral of F
around any closed curve is 0. This is easy to do. Let C be any
closed curve in D. Then D is simply connected, so there is a
surface S the boundary of which is C . Now by Stokes’s Theorem:
Z ZZ
F · dr = ∇ × F · dS = 0.
C S
 −y x
12.1. Explain how you know that F (x, y , z) = i+ 2 j, x >
x2
+y 2 x + y2
0 is conservative.
12.2. Find a potential function for the vector function F given in
the previous problem.
Stokes’s theorem

ZZ
12.3. Let F = yi + zj + xk. Find ∇ × F · dS, where S is the a
S
part of the cylinder x 2 + y 2 = 1 bounded between two planes z = 0
and z = x + 2 oriented outward.
Stokes’s theorem

−y x
12.4. Let F be a vector field F = i+ 2 j + zk.
x2+y 2 x + y2
a) Find curl F .
2 2
Z C the circle (x − 2) + y = 1 lying in the plane z = 1.
b) Denote by
Prove that F · dr = 0.
CZ

c) Evaluate F · dr , where Γ is the circle x 2 + y 2 = 1, z = 0

Γ
oriented counterclockwise as viewed from above. Is it possible to
apply Stokes’s theorem to the disk S with the boundary Γ?
Stokes’s theorem

12.5. Prove that if F is a C 1 vector field on a domain Ω containing

x2 y2 z2
the ellipsoid 2 + 2 + 2 = 1, then
a b c
ZZ
curl F · dS = 0,
S

where S is the boundary (external or internal) of the given ellipsoid.

Gauss’s theorem

12.6. Using Gauss-Ostrogradsky’s theorem, evaluate

ZZ
I = (x − 3y + 2z 2 )dS,
S

where S is the sphere x 2 + y 2 + z 2 = 4.

12.7. Find the flux of the vector field

F (x, y , z) = (x + cos y )i + (y − sin x)j + (z 2 + sin xy )k

x2 y2 z2
across the external surface of the ellipsoid + 2 + 2 = 1.
a2 b c
Gauss’s theorem

12.8. Let B be a bounded closed domain in R3 with piecewise

smooth boundary. The external boundary ∂B of B is determined by
the unit normal vector field n. Prove that
1
ZZ ZZZ
dxdydz
cos(OM, n)dS = p ,
2 x + y2 + z2
2
∂B B

where OM := r = xi + yj + zk.
Interpretation of the curl vector

Suppose that C is an oriented closed curve and v represents the

velocity field in fluid flow. Consider the line integral
Z Z
v · dr = v · Tds,
C C

and recall that v · T is the component of v in the direction of the

unit tangent vector T . This means that the closer the direction of
v is to the direction of T , the larger the value of v · T .
 R
Thus v ·dr is a measure of the tendency of the fluid to move around
C
C and is called the circulation of v around C .

Figure:
Now let P0 (x0 , y0 , z0 ) be a point in the fluid and let Da be a small
disk with radius a and center P0 . Then curl F (P) ≈ curl F (P0 ) for
all points P on Da because curl F is continuous.
Thus, by Stokes’ Theorem, we get the following approximation to
the circulation around the boundary circle Ca :
Z ZZ ZZ
v · dr = curl v · dS = curl v · ndS
Ca Da Da
ZZ
≈ curl v (P0 ) · n(P0 )dS = curl v (P0 ) · n(P0 )πa2 .
Da
This approximation becomes better as a → 0 and we have
1
Z
curl v (P0 ) · n(P0 ) = lim v · dr . (1)
a→0 πa2
Ca

Equation (1) gives the relationship between the curl and the circu-
lation. It shows that curl v · n is a measure of the rotating effect of
the fluid about the axis n.
The curling effect is greatest about the axis parallel to curl v .