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Electrostatics: Coordinate Systems & Calculus

This document provides information on coordinate systems and vector calculus concepts including: 1) Expressing coordinate systems (spherical, cylindrical, Cartesian) in terms of each other and defining unit vectors. 2) Writing expressions for gradient, divergence, curl and Laplacian in different coordinate systems. 3) Calculating line, surface and volume integrals; and evaluating integrals of vector fields over surfaces and volumes.

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Ram Kumar
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26 views5 pages

Electrostatics: Coordinate Systems & Calculus

This document provides information on coordinate systems and vector calculus concepts including: 1) Expressing coordinate systems (spherical, cylindrical, Cartesian) in terms of each other and defining unit vectors. 2) Writing expressions for gradient, divergence, curl and Laplacian in different coordinate systems. 3) Calculating line, surface and volume integrals; and evaluating integrals of vector fields over surfaces and volumes.

Uploaded by

Ram Kumar
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

1 Electrostatics

1.1 Coordinate systems and vectors


1.1. Write the relation among the spherical coordinates (r, θ, ϕ), cylindrical coordi-
nates (r, θ, z), and Cartesian coordinates (x, y, z).

1.2. Convert the point (r, θ, ϕ) = (2, 30◦ , 60◦ ) to the Cartesian coordinate system.

1.3. Write unit vectors of the polar coordinates (r̂, θ̂), in terms of unit vectors of the
Cartesian coordinates (î, ĵ).
Answer:

r̂ = cos θ î + sin θ ĵ (1)


θ̂ = − sin θ î + cos θ ĵ (2)

1.4. Express the unit vectors in the spherical (r̂, θ̂, ϕ̂) and cylindrical coordinate sys-
tems (r̂, θ̂, k̂) in terms of unit vectors of Cartesian coordinate systems (î, ĵ, k̂).
Answer: Spherical to Cartesian

r̂ = sin θ cos ϕ î + sin θ sin ϕ ĵ + cos θ k̂ (3)


θ̂ = cos θ cos ϕ î + cos θ sin ϕ ĵ − sin θ k̂ (4)
ϕ̂ = − sin ϕ î + cos ϕ ĵ (5)

Cylindrical to Cartesian: Do it yourself.

r̂ = cos θ î + sin θ ĵ (6)


θ̂ = − sin θ î + cos θ ĵ (7)
k̂ = k̂ (8)

1.5. In the problem 1.4, verify that r̂ · θ̂ = 0, θ̂ · ϕ̂ = 0, and ϕ̂ · r̂ = 0 for spherical


coordinate system.

1.6. In the problem 1.4, verify that r̂ × θ̂ = ϕ̂, θ̂ × ϕ̂ = r̂, and ϕ̂ × r̂ = θ̂ for spherical
coordinate system.
1.2 Gradient, Divergence and Curl
⃗ operator in Cartesian, Spherical and Cylindrical coordinates.
1.7. Write Del (∇)
Hint: See the book “Introduction to Electrodynamics” by David J. Griffiths.
Answer: Cartesian coordinates:

⃗ ≡ î ∂ + ĵ ∂ + k̂ ∂
∇ (9)
∂x ∂y ∂z

Spherical coordinates:

⃗ ≡ r̂ ∂ + θ̂ 1 ∂ + ϕ̂ 1 ∂
∇ (10)
∂r r ∂θ r sin θ ∂ϕ

Cylindrical coordinates:

⃗ ≡ r̂ ∂ + θ̂ 1 ∂ + k̂ ∂
∇ (11)
∂r r ∂θ ∂z

1.8. Evaluate gradient of a function f (x, y, z) in the Cartesian coordinates.

1.9. Evaluate gradient of a function f (r, θ, ϕ) in the spherical coordinates.

1.10. Evaluate gradient of a function f (r, θ, z) in the cylindrical coordinates.

1.11. Evaluate divergence of a function F⃗ (x, y, z) = fx (x, y, z)î+fy (x, y, z)ĵ+fz (x, y, z)k̂
in the Cartesian coordinates.

1.12. Evaluate divergence of a function F⃗ (r, θ, ϕ) = fr (r, θ, ϕ)r̂+fθ (r, θ, ϕ)θ̂+fϕ (r, θ, ϕ)ϕ̂
in the spherical coordinates. Follows these steps to solve this problem:
Step-1: Calculate all nine partial derivatives of unit vectors in the spherical co-
ordinates r̂, θ̂, ϕ̂ with respect to r, θ, ϕ. Use the results obtained in problem 1.4
to get these derivatives.
∂ r̂ ∂ θ̂ ∂ ϕ̂
∂r = 0, ∂r = 0, ∂r = 0,
∂ r̂ ∂ θ̂ ∂ ϕ̂
Answer: ∂θ = θ̂, ∂θ = −r̂, ∂θ = 0,
∂ r̂ ∂ θ̂ ∂ ϕ̂
∂ϕ = sin θ ϕ̂, ∂ϕ = cos θ ϕ̂, ∂ϕ = − cos θ θ̂ − sin θ r̂.
Step-2: Use these derivatives to evaluate divergence.

1.13. Evaluate divergence of a function F⃗ (r, θ, z) = fr (r, θ, z)r̂+fθ (r, θ, z)θ̂+fϕ (r, θ, z)k̂
in the cylindrical coordinates.
1.14. Evaluate Laplacian, ∇2 f = (∇⃗ · ∇)f
⃗ =∇ ⃗ · (∇f
⃗ ), where f is a scalar function of
Cartesian coordinates, f ≡ f (x, y, z).

1.15. Evaluate Laplacian, ∇2 f = (∇ ⃗ · ∇)f


⃗ =∇ ⃗ · (∇f
⃗ ), where f is a scalar function of
spherical coordinates, f ≡ f (r, θ, ϕ).

1.16. Evaluate Laplacian, ∇2 f = (∇⃗ · ∇)f


⃗ =∇ ⃗ · (∇f
⃗ ), where f is a scalar function of
cylindrical coordinates, f ≡ f (r, θ, z).
1.17. Calculate gradient of f (x, y, z) = x2 + y 2 + z 2 .
1.18. Calculate gradient of f (x, y, z) = x2 y + y 2 z + z 2 x.

1.19. Calculate divergence and curl of F⃗ (x, y, z) = xy î + yz 2 ĵ + xz k̂

1.20. Calulcate divergence of F⃗ (r, θ, ϕ) = r sin θ r̂ + sin ϕ θ̂ + cos ϕ ϕ̂


1.21. Find perpendicular to the surface of an ellipsoid, given by following equation, at
any point on its surface.
x2 y 2 z 2
+ + =1 (12)
a2 b 2 c 2

1.22. The height of a certain hill (in feet) is given by h(x, y) = 10(2xy − 3x2 − 4y 2 −
18x + 28y + 12), where y is the distance towards north, x the distance towards
east of a reference point (a) Where is the top of the hill located? (b) How high
is the hill? and (c) How steep is the slope at a point one unit north and one unit
east of reference point? In what direction is the slope steepest, at that point?
1.23. Determine divergence of r̂/r2 using spherical coordinates in the region r > 0.
Here ⃗r represents the position vector of any arbitrary point except the Origin.
1.24. Let ⃗r be the separation vector from fixed point (x′ , y ′ , z ′ ) to the point (x, y, z)
⃗ 2 ) = 2⃗r (b) ∇(1/r)
and r be the length, show that (a) ∇(r ⃗ = −r̂/r2 (c) What is
⃗ n )?
the general formula for ∇(r
⃗ · ∇)r
1.25. Determine divergence of r̂/r2 for r > 0 and find the value of (∇ ⃗ m.

1.26. Determine the divergence of the following vector fields


⃗ = r sin ϕr̂ + r2 z ϕ̂ + z cos ϕẑ,
(a) A
⃗ = 12 cos θr̂ + r sin θ cos ϕθ̂ + cos θϕ̂
(b) B r
⃗ = r cos θr̂ + r sin θθ̂ + r sin θ cos ϕϕ̂
(c) C
⃗ = s(2 + sin2 ϕ)ŝ + s sin ϕ cos ϕϕ̂ + 3z ẑ
(d) D
1.27. State fundamental theorem for divergence (Gauss’s theorem) and curl (Stokes’
theorem)

1.28. Suppose ⃗v = (2xz + 3y 2 )ŷ + 4yz 2 ẑ. Check stokes’ theorem for the square surface
as shown in the figure.

1.29. Test the divergence theorem for the function ⃗v = xy î + 2yz ĵ + 3zxk̂ on a cube
with side length 2 units.

1.30. Check the divergence theorem using the function ⃗v = y 2 î + (2xy + z 2 )ĵ + 2yz k̂
for a cube with sides of length unity.

1.31. Suppose ⃗v = (2xz +3y 2 ) ĵ +4yz 2 k̂. Verify stokes’ theorem for the square surface
with side length 2 unit, as shown in the figure.

1.3 Line, surface and volume integrals


1.32. Write down infinitesimal displacement, surface area element and volume elements
in Spherical and Cylindrical Coordinate System.
RB
⃗ where F⃗ = xy î + x2 ĵ over the straight line
1.33. Evaluate the line integral A F⃗ · dr,
between A(1, 1) and B(4, 6).
RB
⃗ where F⃗ = xy î + x2 ĵ over the curve y = x2
1.34. Evaluate the line integral A F⃗ · dr,
between A(0, 0) and B(1, 1).

1.35. Calculate area of a circle using the Cartesian coordinate system.

1.36. Calculate area of a circle using the polar coordinate system.


1.37. Calculate area of an ellipse with semi-major and semi-minor axis, a and b re-
spectively, using the Cartesian Coordinate system.

1.38. Calculate volume of a sphere using the spherical coordinate system.

1.39. Calculate the surface integral of ⃗v = 2xz x̂ + (x + 2)ŷ + y(z 2 − 3)ẑ over five sides
(excluding the bottom) of the cubical box the figure. Let “upward and outward”
be the positive direction, as indicated by the arrows.

1.40. The spherical charge distribution is given by ρ(r) = ρ0 + αr for 0 ≤ r ≤ R.


Here ρ0 and α are the constants. Calculate the total charge contained inside the
sphere of radius R.

Common questions

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Partial derivatives of unit vectors are crucial in evaluating divergence in spherical coordinates because they describe how the direction of unit vectors changes with respect to spatial variables. When calculating divergence, the derivative of each component of a vector field is needed. Since spherical coordinates include direction-specific scaling factors and varying directions, knowing these derivatives—such as those of ˆr, ˆθ, and ˆϕ with respect to r, θ, and ϕ—allows accurate computation of the divergence of a vector field defined in spherical terms .

To confirm the orthogonality of unit vectors in spherical coordinates, one must evaluate their dot products. For vectors in spherical coordinates (ˆr, ˆθ, ˆϕ), orthogonality is shown by verifying that ˆr · ˆθ = 0, ˆθ · ˆϕ = 0, and ˆϕ · ˆr = 0. These dot products being zero confirms that the vectors are perpendicular to each other, a property essential for coordinate transformations and simplifying calculations .

To set up the line integral of a vector field ⃗F along a path, which, for example, might be ⃗F = xyˆi + x²ˆj over a path from point A(1, 1) to B(4, 6), parametrize the path as x = t, y = mt + c, where t ranges suitably. Calculate the differential path element as ⃗dr = dx ˆi + dy ˆj. Substitute these into ∫_C ⃗F · ⃗dr. This results in the integral ∫ (t(mt + c) + t²) dt evaluated between the appropriate limits for t, translating into a single-variable integral for computation .

The divergence theorem, also known as Gauss's theorem, states that the flux of a vector field through a closed surface is equal to the volume integral of the divergence over the region inside the surface. To test it, select a vector field such as ⃗v = xyˆi + 2yzˆj + 3zxˆk, and calculate the surface integral over a cube with side length 2. Compute the divergence of the vector field and integrate it over the cube's volume. The divergence theorem holds if these calculations yield the same result .

To verify Stokes' theorem, select a vector field and a surface bounded by a closed path. For example, suppose we have vector field ⃗v = (2xz + 3y^2) ˆj + 4yz^2 ˆk, and we aim to verify it over a square surface with side length 2 units. According to Stokes' theorem, the surface integral of the curl of the vector field over the surface should equal the line integral of the vector field around the closed path bounding the surface. Compute both integrals separately and check if they are equal . This demonstrates the theorem’s validity.

In spherical coordinates, the gradient of a scalar function f(r, θ, ϕ) is given by the expression: ∇f = ˆr (∂f/∂r) + ˆθ (1/r)(∂f/∂θ) + ˆϕ (1/(r sin θ))(∂f/∂ϕ), where ˆr, ˆθ, and ˆϕ are the unit vectors in the radial, polar, and azimuthal directions respectively . This formula accounts for the non-Cartesian nature of spherical coordinates, where variations in the function relate to angular displacements as well as radial.

The perpendicular to the surface of an ellipsoid at any point can be found by evaluating the normal vector to the surface described by the function x²/a² + y²/b² + z²/c² = 1. This involves taking the gradient of the defining equation f(x, y, z) = x²/a² + y²/b² + z²/c², which yields the vector ∇f = (2x/a², 2y/b², 2z/c²), pointing normal to the surface at a given point (x, y, z). This vector can be normalized if needed .

The gradient of the scalar function f(x, y, z) = x² + y² + z² is calculated in Cartesian coordinates using the Del operator ∇. The result is given by ∇f = 2x ˆi + 2y ˆj + 2z ˆk. This represents the vector field pointing in the direction of the steepest increase of function f(x, y, z) with a magnitude proportional to the rate of increase .

Expressing spherical unit vectors in terms of Cartesian units involves using trigonometric relationships to align angles and lengths between systems. For the spherical coordinates (ˆr, ˆθ, ˆϕ): ˆr = sin θ cos ϕ ˆi + sin θ sin ϕ ˆj + cos θ ˆk; ˆθ = cos θ cos ϕ ˆi + cos θ sin ϕ ˆj - sin θ ˆk; ˆϕ = -sin ϕ ˆi + cos ϕ ˆj. These expressions use the spherical angles to define relations that transform coordinates, enabling vector operations or further analysis in the Cartesian system .

The relationship between the three coordinate systems involves expressing the spatial coordinates in one system using another. In Cartesian coordinates, a point is represented as (x, y, z). In spherical coordinates, a point is represented as (r, θ, ϕ), where r is the radius, θ the polar angle, and ϕ the azimuthal angle. To convert from spherical to Cartesian: x = r sin θ cos ϕ, y = r sin θ sin ϕ, z = r cos θ. In cylindrical coordinates, a point is denoted by (r, θ, z) and converts to Cartesian coordinates via x = r cos θ, y = r sin θ, z = z. This linkage helps in transforming equations and performing vector operations across different systems.

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