Vector Calculus
DIFFERENTIAL LENGTH, AREA, AND
VOLUME
• Cartesian System
• Circular Cylindrical System
• Spherical System
Cartesian System
Differential displacement is given by
dl= dx ax + dy ay + dz az
Differential normal area is given by
dS = dydz ax
dxdz ay
dxdy az
Differential volume is given by
dv = dx dy dz
Figure 3.1 Differential elements in the right-handed Cartesian coordinate system.
Note: dl & dS are vectors and dv is scalor
Figure 3.2 Differential normal surface areas in Cartesian coordinates:
(a)dS = dy dz ax,
(b) dS = dx dz ay,
(c) dS = dx dy az.
Circular Cylindrical System
Differential displacement is given by
Differential normal area is given by
Differential volume is given by
Figure 3.3 Differential elements in cylindrical coordinates
Figure 3.4 Differential normal surface areas in cylindrical coordinates:
(a) dS = ρ dφ dz aρ,
(b) dS = dρ dz aφ,
(c) dS = ρ dρ dφ az
Spherical system
The differential displacement is
The differential normal area is
The differential volume is
Figure 3.5 Differential elements in the spherical coordinate system.
Figure 3.6 Differential normal surface areas in spherical coordinates:
(a) dS = r2 sin θ dθ dφ ar,
(b) dS = r sin θ dr dφ aθ,
(c) dS = r dr dθ aφ.
LINE, SURFACE AND VOLUME
INTEGRALS
The line integral is the integral of the tangential component of A along
curve L.
Given a vector field A and a curve L, we define the integral
as the line integral of A around L
If the path of integration is a closed curve such as
abca in Figure 3.7 becomes a closed contour
integral which is called the circulation of
A around L.
Figure 3.7
Given a vector field A, continuous in a region containing the smooth surface S, we
define the surface integral or the flux of A through S (see Figure 3.8) as
or simply
which is referred to as the net outward flux
of 'A from S
Figure 3.8
The flux of a vector field A through surface S.
We define the integral as the volume integral of the scalar pv over the volume v.
Del Operator
The del operator, written V, is the vector differential operator. In Cartesian coordinates,
This vector differential operator, otherwise known as the gradient operator, is not a
vector in itself, but when it operates on a scalar function, for example, a vector
ensues. The operator is useful in defining
1. The gradient of a scalar V , written as V
2. The divergence of a vector A, written as .A
3. The curl of a vector A, written as XA
4. The Laplacian of a scalar V, written as V
Figure 3.7Illustration of a curl: (a) curl at P points out of the page,
(b) curl at P is zero.
Figure 3.8 Determining the sense of dl and dS involved in Stokes’s theorem.
Figure 3.9 Typical fields with vanishing and no vanishing divergence or curl.