Problem Set 9
Due: July 26th, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
Instructions for Completing the Problem Set:
• Please complete all the questions provided; however, note that some may not be graded. Unless
otherwise indicated, you must provide full proofs or justifications for your answers.
• You are welcome to reference any lemmas or theorems that were proven in the textbook or during
lectures. You may also reference lemmas or theorems that were explicitly stated but not proven, as
long as doing so does not trivialize the problem.
• Collaboration with your peers is allowed and encouraged! Working together can deepen your under-
standing. However, it is essential that you personally understand the solutions and are able to explain
them in your own words.
• All submissions must be written in your own words. This ensures you have internalized the
material and are strengthening your own reasoning and problem-solving abilities.
• Please refrain from using external tools such as AI. The purpose of these problem sets is not simply
to earn a grade, but to prepare you for the final exam and, more importantly, to help you truly
master the material. Think of each problem as an opportunity to practice, explore, and solidify your
understanding.
• All submissions should be uploaded through Gradescope by the specified deadline.
Remember: The goal here is learning, not just completing an assignment. Focus on understanding the
concepts deeply — the grades will naturally follow. We believe in your ability to grow and succeed!
Questions:
1. Let F : Rn → Rn be a vector field and let C ⊂ Rn be an oriented curve. Prove that:
Z Z
F · T ds ≤ ∥F ∥ds
C C
R
2. For each of the following, determine if F is conservative and compute the line integrals C
F · T ds:
2 x
(a) F(x, y) = (x , −y) and C is the graph of y = e from x = 2 to x = 1.
π
(b) F(x, y, z) = (y + z, x + z, x + y) and C = {(t cos(t), t sin(t), t2 ) : 0 ≤ t ≤ 2 }.
(c) F(x, y, z) = (x, y, z 2 ) and C is the intersection of cylinder x2 + y 2 = 1 and z = x oriented counter-
clockwise when viewed from above.
1
3. In this problem, you will show that the divergence of a vector field measures “infinitisimal flux” and the
curl of a vector field measures ”infinitisimal circulation” without Green’s theorem.
(a) Suppose F : R2 → R2 is a C 1 vector field. Taylor’s theorem with remainder tells us that for each
of the components F1 , F2 of F we have that:
F1 (y) = F1 (x) + ∇F1 (x)T (y − x) + R1 (y)
F2 (y) = F2 (x) + ∇F2 (x)T (y − x) + R2 (y)
for any x ∈ R2 , where R1 , R2 : R2 → R are both C 1 and satisfy:
R1 (y)
lim =0
y→x |y − x|
R2 (y)
lim =0
y→x |y − x|
Consider the limit: I
1
lim F · N ds
ε→0 πε2 ∂Bε (x)
Here, ∂Bε (x) is the circle of radius ε centered at x, positively oriented. By replacing F with its
first order Taylor expansion with remainder in the line integral above, evaluate this limit.
(b) Suppose F : R2 → R2 is a C 1 vector field. Consider the limit:
I
1
lim 2 F · T ds
ε→0 πε ∂Bε (x)
Here, ∂Bε (x) is the circle of radius ε centered at x, positively oriented. By replacing F with its
first order Taylor expansion with remainder in the line integral above, evaluate this limit.
Page 2