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Mathematical Tripos Part IA Lent Term 2014
Vector Calculus Prof B C Allanach
Example Sheet 3
1 (i) Write down the operator in Cartesian coordinates and in spherical polars. Calculate
the gradient of
= Ez = Er cos
in both coordinate systems (E is a constant) and check that your answers agree.
(ii) Apply the standard formulas in Cartesian, cylindrical, and spherical polar coordinates to
calculate, in three ways, the curl of the following vector eld (with B a constant):
A =
1
2
B( y e
x
+xe
y
) =
1
2
B e

=
1
2
Br sin e

.
2 In cylindrical polar coordinates,
= e

+ e

+ e
z

z
and
e

= e

,
e

= e

,
while all other derivatives of the basis vectors are zero. Derive expressions for A and A,
where A = A

+A

+A
z
e
z
, and also for
2
, where is a scalar eld.
3 The vector eld B(x) is dened in cylindrical polar coordinates , , z by
B(x) =
1
e

, = 0 .
Calculate B using the formula for curl in cylindrical polars. Evaluate

C
B dx, where C
is the circle z = 0, = 1 and 0 2. Is your answer consistent with Stokess Theorem?
4 The scalar eld (r) depends only on r = |x|, where x is the position vector in three
dimensions. Use Cartesian coordinates, index notation, and the chain rule to show that
=

(r)
x
r
,
2
=

(r) +
2
r

(r) .
Find the solution of
2
= 1 which is dened on the region r a and which satises (a) = 1.
5 (a) Using Cartesian coordinates x, y, nd all solutions of Laplaces equation in two
dimensions of the form (x, y) = f(x)e
y
with a constant. Hence nd a solution on the
region 0 x a and y 0 with boundary conditions:
(0, y) = (a, y) = 0 , (x, 0) = sin(x/a) , 0 as y ( a const) .
(b) Using the formula for
2
in polar coordinates r, , verify that Laplaces equation in the
plane has solutions (r, ) = Ar

cos , if and are related appropriately. Hence nd

solutions on the following regions, with the given boundary conditions ( a const):
(i) r a , (a, ) = cos ; (ii) r a , (a, ) = cos , 0 as r ;
(iii) a r b ,

n
(a, ) = 0 , (b, ) = cos 2 .
6 Consider a complex-valued function f = (x, y) + i(x, y) satisfying f/ z = 0, where
/ z = /x + i/y. Show that
2
=
2
= 0. Show also that a curve on which is
constant is orthogonal to a curve on which is constant at a point where they intersect.
Find and when f = ze
z
, where z = x +iy, and compare with question 6 on Sheet 2.
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7 Use Gausss ux method to nd the gravitational eld g(r) due to a spherical shell of
matter with density
(r) =

0 for 0 r a,

0
r/a for a < r < b,
0 for r b.
Now nd the gravitational potential (r) directly from Poissons equation by writing
down the general, spherically symmetric solution to Laplaces equation in each of the intervals
0 <r <a, a<r <b and r >b, and adding a particular integral where necessary. Assume that
is not singular at the origin, and that and

are continuous at r = a and r = b. Check

that this solution gives the same result for the gravitational eld.
8 From an integral theorem, derive (one of Greens Identities):

V
(
2

2
) dV =

dS .
9 Let (x) be a function on a volume V and f(x) a function on its boundary S = V .
Show that a solution (x) to the following problem is unique:

2
= on V ,

n
= f on S .
10 The functions u(x) and v(x) on V satisfy
2
u = 0 on V and v = 0 on V . Show that

V
u v dV = 0 .
Now if w(x) is a function on V with u = w on V , show, by considering v = w u, that

V
|w|
2
dV

V
|u|
2
dV .
11 Show that there is at most one solution (x) to Laplaces equation in a volume V with
the boundary condition given in terms of functions f(x) and g(x) by
g

n
+ = f on V ,
assuming g(x) 0 on V . Find a non-zero solution of Laplaces equation on |x| 1 which
satises the boundary condition above with f = 0 and g = 1 on |x| = 1.
12 Maxwells equations for electric and magnetic elds E(x, t) and B(x, t) are
E = /
0
, E = B/t ,
B = 0 , B =
0
j +
0

0
E/t ,
where (x, t) and j(x, t) are the charge density and current, and
0
and
0
are constants. Show
that these imply the conservation equation j = /t. Show also that if j is zero then
U =
1
2

0
E
2
+
1
0
B
2

and P =
1
0
EB satisfy P = U/t .
Comments to: B.C.Allanach@damtp.cam.ac.uk
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