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VC.05: 2D Flow Measurements by Integrals

Literacy
1. You have a given vector field Field[x, y] = {m[x, y], n[x, y]}. You have parametrized the ellipse
2 2
 x  y
      1 in the counterclockwise way with {x [t ], y [t ]}  {2 Cos[t ], 3 Sin[t ]} with 0  t  2 .
2  3
2
You calculate C m[ x, y]dx  n[ x, y]dy   m [ x[t ], y[ y]] x[t ]  n [ x[t ], y[ y]] y [t ] dt , and learn that
0

C m[ x, y]dx  n[ x, y]dy  3.52 .

2
Then you calculate C  n [ x, y]dx  m [ x, y]dy    n [ x[t ], y[ y]] x[t ]  m [ x[t ], y[ y]] y [t ] dt and learn
0
that C  n [ x, y]dx  m[ x, y]dy  9.01 .

a) Is the net flow of Field[x, y] along C clockwise or counterclockwise?

b) Is the net flow of Field[x, y] across C from outside to inside, or is it from inside to outside?

2. You are walking along a closed curve C with no loops (a curve like a distorted circle) in the
counterclockwise way, and at time t, you are at the point {x[t], y[t]}. The unit tangent vector
unittan[t ] 
x[t ], y [t ] with tail at {x[t], y[t]} points out away from your belly in the direction
x [t ]2  y [t ]2
you are walking. When you use this unit tangent to measure the flow of a vector field
Field [ x, y]  {m[ x, y], n[ x, y]} along C, you calculate C m[ x, y]dx  n[ x, y]dy  C F . unittands .

a) How do you interpret the results if it turns out that C m[ x, y]dx  n[ x, y]dy  0 ?

b) How do you interpret the results if it turns out that C m[ x, y]dx  n[ x, y]dy  0 ?

c) How do you interpret the results if it turns out that C m[ x, y]dx  n[ x, y]dy  0 ?
3. You are walking along a closed curve C with no loops (a curve like a distorted circle) in the
counterclockwise way, and at time t, you are at the point {x[t], y[t]}. The unit normal vector
outerunitnormal[ t ] 
y [t ],  x[t ] with tail at {x[t], y[t]} points out away from the curve toward
x[t ]2  y [t ]2
your right foot. When you use this unit normal to measure the flow of a vector field
Field [ x, y]  {m[ x, y], n[ x, y]} across C, you calculate
C  n[ x, y]dx  m[ x, y]dy  C F. outerunitn ormal ds .

a) How do you interpret the results if it turns out that C  n[ x, y]dx  m[ x, y]dy  0 ?

b) How do you interpret the results if it turns out that C  n[ x, y]dx  m[ x, y]dy  0 ?

c) How do you interpret the results if it turns out that C  n[ x, y]dx  m[ x, y]dy  0 ?

4. Measure by hand calculation the net flow across the circle x 2  y 2  9 of a fluid whose velocity is
given by the vector field Field[x, y] = {x, y}. Then answer… Is the net flow of Field[x, y] across this
curve from inside to outside or outside to inside?
5. Measure by hand calculation the net flow along the circle x 2  y 2  16 of a fluid whose velocity is
given by the vector field Field[x, y] = {-y, x}. Then answer… Is the net flow of Field[x, y] along this
curve clockwise or counterclockwise?

6. When you go with a given vector field Field [ x, y]  {m[ x, y], n[ x, y]} and a closed curve C (like a
deformed circle), you measure the flow of this vector field across C by calculating the path integral
C  n[ x, y] dx  m[ x, y] dy. To calculate C  n[ x, y] dx  m[ x, y] dy, you go with two functions x[t] and
y[t] and two numbers tlow and thigh. And then you calculate
thigh
C  n [ x, y]dx  m [ x, y]dy    n [ x[t ], y[ y]] x[t ]  m [ x[t ], y[ y]] y [t ] dt .
tlow
What 2 conditions must the two functions, x[t] and y[t], and the two numbers, tlow and thigh, satisfy
for you to be sure that your calculation is correct?

7. Suppose C1 and C 2 are physically the same curve, but they are parametrized so that the starting
point of C1 is the ending point of C 2 , and the ending point of C1 is the staring point of C 2 . Express
C1 m[ x, y]dx  n[ x, y]dy in terms of C2 m[ x, y]dx  n[ x, y]dy .
8. Take a given vector field Field [ x, y]  {m[ x, y], n[ x, y]} . If C1 and C 2 are two curves that are
parametrized to start at a given point {a, b}, and end at another given point {c, d}, but are not the same
physical curve, what do you look for to determine whether you are guaranteed that
C1 m[ x, y]dx  n[ x, y]dy  C2 m[ x, y]dx  n[ x, y]dy ?

9. Go with a vector field Field [ x, y]  {m[ x, y], n[ x, y]} with the extra information that Field[x, y] is a
gradient field. If C is a closed curve (like a deformed circle), then what do you expect the value of
C m[ x, y] dx  n[ x, y] dy to be?

10. What do you mean when you say that a given vector field Field [ x, y]  {m[ x, y], n[ x, y]} is a
gradient field?

11. Given that Field [ x, y]  {m[ x, y], n[ x, y]} is the gradient field of the function
2 / 2 y 2 / 4
f [ x, y]  e  x , exactly what are the formulas for m[x, y] and n[x, y]?
12. Here are four vector fields:
Field 1[ x, y]  { y e x y , x e x y }
Field 2[ x, y]  { y,  x}
Field 3[ x, y]  {Sin[2 x], Cos[5 y]}
Field 4[ x, y]  {2 x  3 y,  2 x  5 y}
Identify which vector fields above are gradient fields.

13. If Field[x, y] is a gradient field, and C is a closed curve (like a deformed circle), then what is the
net flow of Field[x, y] along C?

14.
a) Does Field [ x, y]  { y Sin[ x y], x Sin[ x y]} pass the gradient test?

b) Does Field [ x, y]  {x Sin[ x y], y Sin[ x y]} pass the gradient test?
15. Two legitimate parametrizations of the circle C, x 2  y 2  9 are:
Parametrization 1: {x[t ], y[t ]}  {3Sin[t ], 3Cos[t ]} with 0  t  2
Parametrization 2: {x[t ], y[t ]}  {3Cos[t ], 3Sin[t ]} with 0  t  2
a) Which of the two parametrizations do you use to calculate C  y dx  x dy ?

b) Calculate by hand C  y dx  x dy .

c) Make two different interpretations of this answer. You must make a flow along and a flow
across interpretation and clearly identify the vector field you are talking about.

16.
a) Why does Field [ x, y]  {1  y, 3  x} pass the gradient test?

b) Come up with a function f [x, y] whose gradient is Field [ x, y]  {1  y, 3  x}.

 y
17. Here are three curves all parametrized to start at {0, 0} and end at {3, 9}:
end
Explain how you know that before calculations begin that the 8
following three path integrals all calculate out to the same value:

C1 3x y dx  4 x y dy
2 4 3 3

6 C2

C2 3x y dx  4 x y dy
2 4 3 3
C1

C3

C3 3x y dx  4 x y dy
2 4 3 3

start

x
1 1 2 3 4

18. You are given :

- A vector field Field [ x, y]  {m[ x, y], n[ x, y]}
- A closed curve C (like a deformed circle), and
- A counterclockwise parametrization of C, P[t] = {x[t], y[t]} with P[t] sweeping C
exactly one time as t advances from tlow to thigh.

With these ingredients, you can make the following measurements. Next to each one, identify which
measure the net flow of Field[x, y] along C, and which measure the net flow of Field[x, y] across C.

i) C Field .outernormal ds ___________________________

ii) C m[ x, y] dx  n[ x, y] dy ___________________________

thigh
iii)  Field [ x[t ], y[t ]].{x [t ], y [t ]} dt ___________________________
tlow

iv) C Field .dP ___________________________

v) C  n [ x, y]dx  m[ x, y]dy ___________________________

vi) C Field . unittan ds ___________________________

thigh
vii)  Field [ x[t ], y[t ]].{ y [t ], x[t ]} dt ___________________________
tlow