International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Management (IJAEM)

Volume 3, Issue 5 May 2021, pp: 316-321 www.ijaem.net ISSN: 2395-5252

Contribution of Vector Calculus in Electrical

Engineering
1
Viateur Irakarama, 2Daniel Ndacyayisaba, 3Isidore Nzeyimana
&4Jean Bosco Harerimana
1,2,3,4
Lecturers, Department of Science and Generic Modules, Integrated Polytechnic Regional College-Karongi,
Rwanda Polytechnic, Rwanda

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Submitted: 01-05-2021 Revised: 09-05-2021 Accepted: 10-05-2021
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ABSTRACT:This paper shows how Mathematics Airflow around aircraft, cars and other solid
and Physics through vector calculus are very useful objects, fluid flows around ships and heat flow in
in the success of engineering especially electrical nuclear reactors [2]. The author in [3] mentioned
technology. Using different vector operators, some that, Fluid mechanics, Maxwell’s wave, heat
electrical engineering problems are solved. These equations and electromagnetic theory need
vector operators named gradient, divergence; Curl mathematical tool. The analysis of different
and Laplacian operator have been elaborated from functions using curl, gradient, divergence and
different authors’ literatures with their Laplacian are some of mathematical tools to solve
corresponding applications in Electrical electrical engineering problems. The focus of this
Technology. The vector calculus in electrical paper is on above mentioned mathematical tools
technology is mostly applied to describe Maxwell’s from vector calculus (vector and scalar fields) and
equations named Gauss’s law for electric flux, applications in electrical engineering.
Gauss’s law for magnetism, Faraday’s law, and
Maxwell-Ampere’s law which are essential tools of II. MATHEMATICAL VECTOR
electrical engineers to design electrical and OPERATORS AND APPLICATIONS
electronics equipment that are used to make for The vector operators are applied in
example cell phones, satellites, televisions and electromagnetism, and much of electromagnetism
computers. In this paper, Maxwell’s equations is concerned with solving Maxwell’s equations for
cover most useful applications of vector calculus. different boundary conditions as shown in [4, 5, 2].
Keywords:Vectors, operators, Electrical Maxwell’s Equations provide a complete
technology, Maxwell’s equations. description of electromagnetic phenomena and
underpin all modern information and
I. INTRODUCTION communication technologies. Maxwell’s Equations
In engineering, mathematics and physics are the essential tool of electrical engineers, used to
are more useful in daily life. Those who are in design all electrical and electronic equipment from
engineering fields need to be strong in mathematics cell phones to satellites, televisions to computers
and Physics so that they perform well their and power stations to washing machines [6].
engineering tasks. Maxwell’s equations are a set of four mathematical
The students need solid knowledge of equations that relate precisely the electric and
basic principles, methods, and results, and a clear magnetic fields to their sources, which are electric
view of what engineering mathematics is all about, charges and currents. Maxwell’s equations in
and that it requires proficiency in all three phases differential form describe field behavior at a point
of problems solving: (a) Modeling which is to in a continuous medium [7]. The authors in [8, 7, 2]
translate into a mathematical model, (b) Solving commonly describe in differential form four
the model using suitable mathematical method, and Maxwell’s equations: Gauss’s law for electric flux,
(c) Interpreting Mathematical result in physical or Gauss’s law for magnetism, Faraday’s law and
other terms to see what it practically means and Ampere’s law. In this section, the vectors operators
implies [1]. One among different topics which are are described with applications in
useful especially in electrical engineering is Vector electromagnetism.
Calculus. Vector calculus is used to model a vast
range of engineering phenomenon including
electrostatic charges, electromagnetic field,
DOI: 10.35629/5252-0305316321 Impact Factor value 7.429 | ISO 9001: 2008 Certified Journal Page 316
 International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Management (IJAEM)
Volume 3, Issue 5 May 2021, pp: 316-321 www.ijaem.net ISSN: 2395-5252

1. Partial differentiation of vectors vector field [10, 11, 12, 2, 1]. The gradient  is in
the direction of the steepest increase in  whereas
The partial derivative of a vector
r r r r
v  vx i  v y j  vz k with respect to x is defined by
r its magnitude is equal to the rate of increase in that
as v  vx ir  v y rj  vz kr , where vx , v y and vz are the direction [11].
x x x x
differentiable functions of x , y and z . The partial 3. Divergence of a vector field
r
derivatives with respect to y and z is defined in a Given a vector field v  v  x, y, z  . If
similar way, as are higher partial derivatives. For r r r r
r v  vx i  vy j  vz k and differentiating partially
example:  v   vx i   v y j   vz k and this is
2
22 r r 2 r
with respect to x, y and z , respectively and adding
x 2
x 2
x 2
x 2

a second partial derivative with respect to x [2, 1]. the obtained quantities the result is a scalar quantity
r r
called divergence of v denoted by div v or  v
Electrostatic potential and it is given by div vr    vr  vx  v y  vz . If we
In electrostatics, the electric potential (V) x y z
is a scalar and the intensity of the electric field ( E) use the vector operator notation and the scalar
is a vector. If the electric potential in a region is product (not in usual sense because   ,  ,   is a
the same at different points in the region then there  
 x y z 
is no electric field in that region. If the electric vector operator) to evaluate
potential is different at different points in the
r     r
region then the electric field exists in that region.   v   , ,  .v
The direction of the electric field is in the direction  x y z 
.
  r  r  r
 
in which the potential decreases. The relation r r r
 i  j  k   vx i  v y j  vz k
between the electric potential and the electric field  x y z 
is given by E   V rˆ , where r̂ is the unit vector
r
vx v y vz
r =  
x y z
along the direction of field and the negative sign
shows that the field is in the direction of the The process of finding the divergence is
decreasing potential. Thus, the gradient makes the always done on a vector field and the result is
relation between the vector and the scalar physical always a scalar field. [10, 12, 2, 1]. The divergence
quantities [9]. Engineers working on the design of of a vector field is also a scalar field that represents
equipment such as cathode ray tubes and electrical the flux generation per unit volume at each point of
valves, which are also commonly known by their the field. It means that the divergence measures
generic term vacuum tubes, need to calculate the how much a vector field spreads, or diverges, from
electrostatic potential that results from an a point. The value of the divergence of a vector
accumulation of static charges at various points in a field at a particular point gives a measure of the
region of space. Complicated examples require the “net mass flow” or “flux density” of the vector
use of a computer [2]. field in or out of that point. To understand what
such a statement means, imagine that the vector
r
2. Gradient of a scalar field field v represents velocity of a fluid [13].
r
Given a scalar function  of x, y and z If  v  0 at a point  x, y, z  , the rate at which fluid

variables. The gradient of  denoted by  or

is flowing into that point (sink) is equal to the rate
r
 r  r  r . It at which fluid is flowing out (source) [13], then v
grad  is given by   grad   i j k is said to be divergence free, no source or sink [10].
x y z
At a point  x, y, z  , positive divergence (  vr  0 )
is often useful to write gradient of  in the form
signifies more fluid flowing out than in, so it is a
       
   , ,     , ,  where source. At a point  x, y, z  , negative divergence (
 x y z   x y z  r
 v  0 ) signifies more fluid flowing in than out,
  
   , ,  is called a vector operator, say, so is a sink. [10, 13].
 x y z 
Nabla or Del operator and is regarded as operating r
Gauss’s law for electric flux:   D  
on the scalar  . The process of forming a gradient
applies only to a scalar field and result is always a

DOI: 10.35629/5252-0305316321 Impact Factor value 7.429 | ISO 9001: 2008 Certified Journal Page 317
 International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Management (IJAEM)
Volume 3, Issue 5 May 2021, pp: 316-321 www.ijaem.net ISSN: 2395-5252

r r
where, D   0 E is electric flux density magnetic field lines are continuous; that is, there
are no isolated magnetic poles [2]. It shows that
with  0 the permittivity of free space and  is magnetic field lines curl to form closed loops, with
charge density. This Maxwell’s equation is a the implication that every North Pole of a magnet is
general form of Gauss’s theorem which states that accompanied by a South Pole [6].
the total electric flux flowing out of a closed
surface is proportional to the electric charge
enclosed by that surface [8, 2]. It describes the
electric force field surrounding a distribution of
electric charge  . It shows that the electric field
lines diverge from areas of positive electric charge
and converge onto areas of negative electric charge
[6], [4].

4. Curl of a vector field

r
From [12, 2] the Curl of a vector field v denoted by
r r
curl v or   v measures how much a vector
field rotates or curls around a point and it is defined
by
 
r r r r r
curl v    v =  vx i  v y j  vz k
r r r
i j k
Suppose we surround a region containing charges   
with a surface S. If a small portion of this surface =
x y z
 S is chosen, we can draw the field lines which vx v y vz
pass through this portion as shown in the figure
below [2].  v v y  r  vx vz  r  v y vx  r
 z  i    j   k .
 y z   z x   x y 
As mentioned in [2] this determinant is
evaluated as usual but  ,  and  are operators,
x y z
not multipliers. Imagine that F represents the
velocity of a stream or lake. Drop a small twig in
the lake and watch its travel. The twig may perhaps
be pushed by the current so that it travels in a large
circle, but the curl will not detect this. What curl F
measures is how quickly and in what orientation
the twig itself rotates as it moves [13]. If the vector
r
r field v under consideration represents a fluid flow
The flux of electric field E through  S r
then it may be shown that curl v is a vector which
is a measure of the number of lines of force passing
through  S . Gauss’s law states that the total flux measures the extent to which individual particles of
the fluid are spinning or rotating. Then, a vector
out of any closed surface S is proportional to the r r
total charge enclosed. field v whose curl is zero (  v  0 ) for all
r
Gauss’s law for magnetism:   B  0 values of x, y and z is said to be irrotational or
r
where, B is the magnetic flux. This conservative, [14, 13, 2, 1].For a two dimensional
r
Maxwell’s equation arises from the observation flow with F represents the fluid velocity,   v is
that all magnetic poles occur in pairs and therefore perpendicular to the motion and represents the
DOI: 10.35629/5252-0305316321 Impact Factor value 7.429 | ISO 9001: 2008 Certified Journal Page 318
 International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Management (IJAEM)
Volume 3, Issue 5 May 2021, pp: 316-321 www.ijaem.net ISSN: 2395-5252

direction of axis of rotation [14]. The curl of a This equation describes how electric and
vector field at a particular point in space represents magnetic fields are related and how a magnetic
the tendency of the field to swirl around that point. field curls around a time-varying electric field or an
That is the tendency to follow a non-linear electric current flowing in a conductor.[6, 17].The
direction. These regions correspond to a large curl author in [6] mentioned that Maxwell’s equations
value and indicate that the field swirls significantly can explain how your hair stands on end when you
clockwise (negative curl) or anti-clockwise remove your nylon sweater, how a compass needle
(positive curl) [15]. always points north, how a power station turbine
can generate electricity, and how a loudspeaker can
convert an electric current into sound. When
combined, these equations also describe the
transmission of radio waves and the propagation of
light. All magnetic fields circulate back upon
themselves, and its curl is non-zero at exact
locations through which an electric current is
flowing or an electric field is changing. The
solutions of Maxwell’s equations are essential for
the analysis, design and advancement of wireless
devices and system, high-speed electronics,
microwave imaging, remote sensing,…etc [4].As
shown in [8] the wave requires both electric and
magnetic fields to propagate and they co-propagate.
This means that the magnetic field provides the
r medium for propagation of the electric field and
Faraday’s law:   E   B
r vice versa. Also, there is no limitation on the
t possible frequencies of the waves, this implies that
r the allowed wavelengths are in the interval
where, E is the electric field strength and
r     0 and the average power of the light
B is the magnetic flux density. This Maxwell’s wave per unit area is the irradiance and is
equation describes how electric and magnetic fields
determined by the Pointing vector.
are related and how a time-varying magnetic field
will cause an electric field to curl around it [6, 2].
5. Laplace and Poisson’s equations
The analogue of Faraday’s law relates the rate of
If two operators, gradient and divergence are
change of the flux of an electric field through a
surface to the circulation of the magnetic field combined to denote    or  2 pronounced
around the perimeter of surface. Maxwell added a del-squared  or simply denote  and obtain
correction term due to the flux of electric current
         
because of the moving electric charges through the        2   , ,    , , 
surface [8]. The mathematical formulation of  x y z   x y z  where,
Faraday’s magneto-electric induction is called  2  2  2
Faraday’s law, which states that the rate of change  2 2 2
x y z
of a magnetic field through a two dimensional
surface is proportional to the circulation of the 2 2 2
the operator 2   2  2 is called
electric field around a one dimensional perimeter of x y
2
z
the two dimensional surface [8].
r Laplacian, [5, 2]. Equating by zero,  2  0 ,
Ampère law:   H  J  D
r r
equivalently          0 . This obtained
2 2 2

t
r r r x 2 y 2 z 2
where, J is the free current density, D   0 E is equation is Laplace’s equation [2]. As mentioned in
r
electric flux density with E the electric field [2], engineers sometimes need to solve complex
strength and  0 the permittivity of free space, electrostatic problems when designing electrical
r r equipment. The calculation of the electrical field
r B is the magnetic field strength with B the strength in a high-voltage electrical distribution
H
0 station to ensure there is no danger of electrical
magnetic flux and  0 a permeability of free space discharge across the air gap between components

as shown in [16] .
DOI: 10.35629/5252-0305316321 Impact Factor value 7.429 | ISO 9001: 2008 Certified Journal Page 319
 International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Management (IJAEM)
Volume 3, Issue 5 May 2021, pp: 316-321 www.ijaem.net ISSN: 2395-5252

that have different voltages; Poisson’s equation is matter a lot in Electrical Engineering. Electrical
useful when carrying out this work. Engineers should therefore master vector calculus
r r
If E is an electric field and V an electrostatic for them to be successful in their career since
potential, then the two fields are related by vector calculus has a clear and significant
r r contribution to Electrical Engineering.
E  V and combining with Gauss’s law
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Volume 3, Issue 5 May 2021, pp: 316-321 www.ijaem.net ISSN: 2395-5252

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