The University of Sydney

School of Mathematics and Statistics

Solutions to Practice session 7 (Week 7)
MATH2061: Vector Calculus Semester 1
1. Evaluate

C
ds if = xy + z and C is the straight line segment from (1, 1, 1) to
(2, 2, 5).
Solution: C has parametric equations x = 1 3t, y = 1 + t, z = 1 + 4t, for
t : 0 1.
So

C
ds =

1
0
((1 3t)(1 + t) + (1 + 4t))

9 + 1 + 16 dt
=

26

1
0
3t
2
+ 2t + 2 dt = 2

26.
2. Describe geometrically the vector elds determined by each of the following vector
functions:
(a) F = 3 i + 2 j; (b) F = xi y j.
Solution: (a) The vector at (x, y) has tail at (x, y) and head at (x +3, y +2).
(b) The vector at (x, y) has tail at (x, y) and head at the origin.
(a) (b)
3. Evaluate

(2x y +4) dx +(5y +3x 6) dy around a triangle in the xy-plane

with vertices at (0, 0), (3, 0), (3, 2), traversed in the anti-clockwise direction.
Solution: Let A and B be the points (3, 0) and (3, 2) respectively. Then

(2x y + 4) dx + (5y + 3x 6) dy
=

OA
(2x y + 4) dx + (5y + 3x 6) dy
+

AB
(2x y + 4) dx + (5y + 3x 6) dy
+

BO
(2x y + 4) dx + (5y + 3x 6) dy.
O
A
B
Copyright c 2013 The University of Sydney 1
Along OA, y = 0, x = t, t : 0 3, dx = dt, dy = 0.
Along AB, x = 3, y = t, t : 0 2, dx = 0, dy = dt.
Along BO, x = t, y =
2
3
t, t : 3 0, dx = dt, dy =
2
3
dt .
Hence,

(2x y + 4) dx + (5y + 3x 6) dy
=

3
0
(2t + 4) dt +

2
0
(5t + 3) dt +

0
3
50t
9
dt = 12.
4. Evaluate

C
F dr, where F = z i + xj + y k and r(t) = t i + t
2
j + t
3
k; t : 0 1.
Solution:

C
F dr =

C
z dx + xdy + y dz
=

1
0
(t
3
+ t.2t + t
2
.3t
2
) dt
=

t
4
4
+
2t
3
3
+
3t
5
5

1
0
=
91
60
.
5. Calculate the work done by the force eld F = 3xy i2 j in moving from A : (1, 0, 0)
to B : (2,

3, 0)
(a) along the straight line AB;
(b) along the straight lines from A to D : (2, 0, 0) and then from D to B;
(c) along the piece of the hyperbola x
2
y
2
= 1, z = 0 from A to B.
Solution: The work done by F along a path C is

C
F dr =

C
3xy dx 2 dy + 0 dz.
(a) The straight line joining AB has equation r = i + t(i +

3j)
or x = 1 + t, y =

3t, z = 0; t : 0 1. Thus

C
F dr =

1
0
(3(1 + t)

3t dt 2

3 dt) =

3/2.
(b)

C
F dr =

AD
F dr +

DB
F dr.
On AD, y = 0, dy = 0 so

AD
F dr = 0
On DB, x = 2, dx = 0 so

C
F dr =

DB
F dr =

3
0
2 dy = 2

3.
2
(c) On C, x
2
y
2
= 1, z = 0, so let x = t, t : 1 2. Then
y =

t
2
1, dy =
t

t
2
1
dt, dx = dt and dz = 0.
Hence,

C
F dr =

2
1
3t

t
2
1 dt
2t

t
2
1
dt
=

3
1
2

2
3
(t
2
1)
3/2
2(t
2
1)
1/2

2
1
=

3.
6. Let u = 2i 2j +k, v = i + 3j k and w = 2j + 3k. Find
(u v)w, u(v w), (u v) w, u (v w), (u v) w, u (v w).
Solution: u v = 21+(2) 3+1(1) = 5; (u v)w = 10j 15k.
v w = 1 0 + 3 2 + (1) 3 = 3; u(v w) = 6i 6j + 3k.
u v =

i j k
2 2 1
1 3 1

= i + 3j + 8k; (u v) w = 30.
v w =

i j k
1 3 1
0 2 3

= 11i 3j + 2k; u (v w) = 30.

(u v) w =

i j k
1 3 8
0 2 3

= 7i + 3j 2k.
u (v w) =

i j k
2 2 1
11 3 2

= i + 7j + 16k.
Note that (u v) w = u (v w) but (u v) w = u (v w).
7. Find the equations of the straight lines that satisfy each of the following sets of
conditions. Give answers in vector form, parametric scalar form and cartesian
form.
(a) The line passes through the points P (3, 3, 5) and Q(2, 6, 1).
(b) The line passes through the point P (1, 2, 3) and is parallel to the line

given by r = (2i j +k) + (3i +j 2k)t.

(c) The line passes through the point P (1, 1, 1) and is perpendicular to the
plane 2x + 3y z = 4.
Solution:
(a) The vector
v =

PQ = i 9j + 6k
3
is parallel to and the position vector of the point P on is
r
0
= 3i + 3j 5k.
Hence the vector form of the equation of is
r(t) = (3i + 3j 5k) + (i 9j + 6k)t, (< t < ).
The parametric equations for are
x = 3 t, y = 3 9t, z = 5 + 6t.
and eliminating t we get the cartesian equations for :
x 3
1
=
y 3
9
=
z + 5
6
.
(b) The vector u = 3i +j 2k. is parallel to

and hence to . Hence the vector

equation for is
r(t) = (i + 2j + 3k) + (3i +j 2k)t, (< t < ).
Parametric equations: x = 1 + 3t, y = 2 + t, z = 3 2t.
Cartesian form:
x + 1
3
=
y 2
1
=
z 3
2
.
(c) The normal to the plane is u = 2i + 3j k.
Since the given line is parallel to u, the vector equation for is
r(t) = (i j +k) + (2i + 3j k)t, (< t < ).
Parametric equations: x = 1 + 2t, y = 1 + 3t, z = 1 t.
Cartesian form:
x 1
2
=
y + 1
3
=
z 1
1
.
4
8. A particle moves along a curve whose parametric equations are
x(t) = e
t
, y(t) = 2 cos 3t, z(t) = 2 sin 3t,
where t is the time.
(a) Determine its velocity vector and acceleration vector.
(b) Find the magnitudes of the velocity and acceleration at t = 0.
Solution:
(a) The position vector is r = e
t
i + 2 cos 3t j + 2 sin 3t k.
The velocity vector is
v =
dr
dt
= e
t
i 6 sin 3t j + 6 cos 3t k,
and the acceleration vector is
a =
dv
dt
= e
t
i 18 cos 3t j 18 sin3t k.
(b) At t = 0, v(0) = i + 6k and a(0) = i 18 j.
Magnitude of velocity (i.e., speed) at t = 0 is

1 + 36 =

37.
Magnitude of acceleration at t = 0 is

1 + 324 =

325.
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