Andriy Petrashyk

Homework 2

October 19, 2015

Problem 1.


~
~
We use the definition of the vector product, A B = ijk Aj Bk and the following
i
property of the Levi-Civita symbol, ijk ilm = jl km jm kl .
Part (a)
~ B)
~ (C
~ D)
~ = (A
~ B)
~ i (C
~ D)
~ i
(A
= (ijk Aj Bk )(ilm Cl Dm ) = ijk ilm Aj Bk Cl Dm
= (jl km jm kl )Aj Bk Cl Dm
= (Aj Cj )(Bk Dk ) (Aj Dj )(Bk Ck )
~ C)(
~ B
~ D)
~ (A
~ D)(
~ B
~ C).
~
= (A

Part (b)
h


 

i
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
C D
(A B) (C D) = ijk A B
j

= ijk (jlm Al Bm )(knp Cn Dp ) = ijk jlm knp Al Bm Cn Dp

= jlm Al Bm (in jp ip jn ) Al Bm Cn Dp




~B
~ Dj Ci A
~B
~ Cj Di
= A
j
j
nh

i
h
 i o
~B
~ D
~ C
~ A
~B
~ C
~ D
~ .
=
A
i

Problem 2.
Note that
~ F~ = (2, 0, 2).
We are looking at F~ = (y + z)i (x + z)j + (x + y)k.
Part (a)
For this part, we can apply Stokes theorem.
I
Z
Z
~
k d = 2.
~
~
~
F dl = F d~ = (2i 2k)

Part (b)
Same thing as in the previous part:
I
Z
Z
~
j d = 0.
~
~
~
F dl = F d~ = (2i 2k)

Andriy Petrashyk

Homework 2

October 19, 2015

Part (c)
Here, we have to compute the actual integral:
I

F~ d~l =

(1,0,0)
Z

F~ i dx +

(0,0,0)

(1,0,1)
Z

F~ k dz +

(1,0,0)

(1,1,1)
Z

F~ (j) dy +

(1,0,1)

(0,0,0)
Z

dy
F~ (i + j + k)

(1,1,1)

Z0
=0+12+

2y dy = 1 1 = 2.
1

Part (d)
Again, need to compute the actual integral:
I

F~ d~l =

(0,0,2)
Z

F~ d~l +

(0,0,0)

(0,0,0)
Z

F~ k dz

(0,0,2)

Z2
[(sin t + t) sin t (1 cos t + t) cos t + (1 cos t + sin t)] dt + 0 = 2.

=
0

Problem 3.
We are looking at ~u = yz x + zx
y + zy
z.
Part (a)
Its rrotational:


 x y z 


~ ~u = x y z  = 0.



yz zx xy 
Its also solenoidal:
~ ~u = x (yz) + y (zx) + z (xy) = 0.

Part (b)
This is simple: x = yz = xyz + C; With this , we also have: y = xz, z = xy.
Thus, = yz x + zx
y + zy
z = ~u. Note that is a scalar field, while ~u is a vector field.

Andriy Petrashyk

Homework 2

October 19, 2015

Part (c)
Yes, this is true for any irrotational field. There are many candidates, but one choice is, for
example,


~ = 1 xz 2 x + x2 y y + y 2 z z .
A
2

Problem 4.
Part (a)
We are looking at the parabolic cylinder coordinates, x = 21 (u2 v 2 ), y = uv, z = z. In
terms of (u, v, z), we have:
dx = udu vdv,
dy = udv + vdu,
dz = dz;
ds2 = dx2 + dy 2 + dz 2 = (u2 + v 2 )(du2 + dv 2 ) + dz 2 .
The metric is

u2 + v 2
0
0
u2 + v 2 0
gij = 0
0
0
1

and so the scale factors are hu = hv = u2 + v 2 , hz = 1.

The volume element is


u v 0




 (x, y, z) 
 dudvdw = v u 0 dudvdw = (u2 + v 2 )dudvdw.
dV = dxdydz = 



(u, v, w)
 0 0 1

From d~s = ~an dxn = (udu vdv)i + (udv + vdu)j + dz k = (ui + vj)du + (uj vi)dv + dz k,
we get

~au = u2 + v 2 eu = ui + vj,

~av = u2 + v 2 ev = uj vi,

~az = ez = k.

Part (b)
For this part, the coordinates are a bit more complicated, but the procedure is the same.
Repeating the steps above for
x = a cosh u cos v,
y = a sinh u sin v,
z = z,
3

Andriy Petrashyk

Homework 2

October 19, 2015

and using cos2 x = 1 sin2 x and cosh2 x = 1 + sinh2 x, we get:

ds2 = a2 (sinh2 u + sin2 v)(du2 + dv 2 ) + dz 2 ,
p
hu = hv = a sinh2 u + sin2 v, hz = 1,
dV = a2 (sinh2 u + sin2 v)dudvdz,
p
~au = a sinh2 u + sin2 v
eu = a(sinh u cos vi + cosh u sin vj),
p
ev = a(sinh u cos vj cosh u sin vi),
~av = a sinh2 u + sin2 v

~az = ez = k.

Problem 5.
There are two ways to do this rigorously.
(a) The first way relies on the fact that a test function is smooth and integrable. These
two conditions together imply that the test function can be bounded from above by a
constant C = max(f ). This, in turn, implies that something called the dominated
convergence theorem can be applied.
The dominated convergence theorem states the following. Suppose that the sequence
fn of real-valued measurable functions converges to a function f and is dominated by
some integrable function
g in the
R
R sense that |fn (x)| g(x) n , x. Then f is
integrable and lim fn d = lim fn d.
n

With this, we look at

Z
lim

n
2 2
en x f (x) dx = lim
n

function G(x) =
to the last integral:
Z
lim

u
1
2
eu f
du.
n

The sequence of functions g(x) =

2
1 eu

2
1 eu f

u
n

is dominated by the integrable

C, and so we can apply the dominated convergence theorem

u
1
2
eu f
du =
n

u
1
2
lim eu f
du =
n
n

All in all then, because

Z
lim

n
2 2
en x f (x) dx = f (0)

for all test functions f (x), it is true that

n
2 2
lim en x = (x).
n

1
2
eu f (0) du = f (0).

Andriy Petrashyk

Homework 2

October 19, 2015

(b) The second way is conceptually much simpler and relies on the fact that we can
expand the test function f (x) in a Taylor series around 0:
Z
lim

n
2 2
en x f (x) dx = lim
n

= lim

k=0

X uk
1
2
eu
f (k) (0) du
k k!
n

k=0
Z

lim

k
1
2 u
eu k f (k) (0) du
n k!

Ck
,
n nk k!

f (k) (0) lim

= f (0) +

k=1

where Ck =

1 u2  u 
e f
du
n

2
1 eu uk

du is a finite number (which incidentally is equal to zero for

odd k). Thus, the sum in the last expression is equal to zero in the limit n ,
meaning that
Z
lim

n
2 2
en x f (x) dx = f (0)

for all test functions f (x), and hence,

n
2 2
lim en x = (x).