950 C HA P T E R 16 LI NE AND SURFACE I NTEGRALS

THEOREM 1 Computing a Scalar Line Integral Let c(t ) be a parametrization of a

curve C for a t b. Assume that f (x, y, z) and c

(t ) are continuous. Then

C
f (x, y, z) ds =

b
a
f (c(t ))c

(t ) dt 3
The value of the integral on the right does not depend on the choice of parametrization.
For f (x, y, z) = 1, we obtain the length of C:
Length of C =

C
c

(t ) dt 4
We also note that if c(t ) = (x(t ), y(t ), z(t )), then
c

(t ) =

(t )
2
+ y

(t )
2
+ z

(t )
2
and the scalar line integral may be written explicitly as

C
f (x, y, z) ds =

b
a
f (c(t ))

(t )
2
+ y

(t )
2
+ z

(t )
2
dt
The symbol ds is intended to suggest arc length s and is often referred to as the line
element or arc length differential. When we evaluate the line integral in terms of a
parametrization, we replace ds by c

(t ) dt .
EXAMPLE 1 Integrating along a Helix Calculate

C
(x + y + z) ds, where C is the
helix c(t ) = (cos t, sin t, t ) for 0 t (Figure 3).
1
3
2
z
x
y
FIGURE 3 The helix
c(t ) = (cos t, sin t, t ).
Solution
Step 1. Compute ds = c

(t) dt.
We have c

(t ) = sin t, cos t, 1, so
c

(t ) =

(sin t )
2
+cos
2
t +1 =

2
ds = c

(t )dt =

2 dt
Step 2. Write out f(c(t)) and evaluate the line integral.
Let f (x, y, z) = x + y + z. Then
f (c(t )) = f (cos t, sin t, t ) = cos t +sin t +t
By Eq. (3),

C
f (x, y, z) ds =

0
f (c(t )) c

(t ) dt =

0
(cos t +sin t +t )

2 dt
=

sin t cos t +
1
2
t
2

0
=

0 +1 +
1
2

2 (0 1 +0) = 2

2 +

2
2

2
S E C T I O N 16.2 Line Integrals 953
THEOREM 2 Computing a Vector Line Integral Let c(t ) be a regular parametrization
of an oriented curve C for a t b. The line integral of a vector eld F over a curve
C is equal to

C
F ds =

b
a
F(c(t )) c

(t ) dt 7
EXAMPLE 3 Let F =

z, y
2
, x

. Evaluate

C
F ds, where C is parametrized by It is useful to think of ds as a vector line
element or vector differential whose
expression is
ds = c

(t ) dt
when we choose a parametrization. The
vector line integral is the integral of the dot
product of F and the vector differential ds.
c(t ) = (t +1, e
t
, t
2
) for 0 t 2.
Solution There are two steps in evaluating a line integral.
Step 1. Calculate the integrand F(c(t)) c

(t).
c(t ) = (t +1, e
t
, t
2
)
F(c(t )) =

z, y
2
, x

t
2
, e
2t
, t +1

(t ) =

1, e
t
, 2t

The integrand is the dot product:

F(c(t )) c

(t ) =

t
2
, e
2t
, t +1

1, e
t
, 2t

= e
3t
+3t
2
+2t
Step 2. Evaluate the line integral.

C
F ds =

2
0
F(c(t ))c

(t ) dt
=

2
0
(e
3t
+3t
2
+2t ) dt =

1
3
e
3t
+t
3
+t
2

2
0
=

1
3
e
6
+8 +4

1
3
=
1
3

e
6
+35

GRAPHICAL INSIGHT To reinforce the concept of the line integral as the integral of the
tangential component, consider the line integral of the vector eld F = 2y, 3 around
the ellipse in Figure 7. Observe in part (A) that the dot product of F T at each point
along the top part of the ellipse is negative because F T = F cos and the angle
between F and T is obtuse. Therefore, the line integral in part (A) is negative. Simi-
larly, in Figure 7(B), F T is positive and the line integral is positive. The line integral
around the entire ellipse in Figure 7(C) appears to be negative because the negative
tangential components from the upper part of the curve appear to dominate the positive
contribution of the tangential components from the lower part. We verify this in the
next example.
Before proceeding, we introduce another standard notation for the line integral

C
F ds of a vector eld F = F
1
, F
2
, F
3
:

C
F
1
dx + F
2
dy + F
3
dz
954 C HA P T E R 16 LI NE AND SURFACE I NTEGRALS
x
y
(A) Line integral is negative
The dot product T F is negative
because the angle between the
vectors is obtuse.
x
y
(B) Line integral is positive
Here, the dot product T F
is positive because the angle
between the vectors is acute.
x
y
(C) Total line integral is negative
T
T
T
FIGURE 7 The vector eld F = 2y, 3.
To evaluate the vector line integral in this notation, we choose a parametrization c(t ) =
(x(t ), y(t ), z(t )) and replace dx by
dx
dt
dt , dy by
dy
dt
dt , and dz by
dz
dt
dt :
_
b
a
_
F
1
(c(t ))
dx
dt
+ F
2
(c(t ))
dy
dt
+ F
3
(c(t ))
dz
dt
_
. ,, .
F(c(t ))c

(t )
dt
EXAMPLE 4 Calculate
_
C
2y dx 3 dy, where C is the ellipse in Figure 7 parametrized
counterclockwise by c(t ) = (4 + 3 cos , 3 + 2 sin ) for 0 < 2.
Solution We have x() = 4 + 3 cos and y() = 3 + 2 sin , and In Example 4, keep in mind that
_
C
2y dx 3 dy
is another notation for the line integral of
the vector eld F = 2y, 3 over C.
dx
d
= 3 sin d,
dy
d
= 2 cos d
The integrand of the line integral is
2y dx 3 dy =
_
2y
dx
d
3
dy
d
_
d
=
_
2(3 + 2 sin )(3 sin ) 3(2 cos )
_
d
=
_
6 cos + 18 sin + 12 sin
2

_
d
We evaluate the line integral, noting that the integrals of cos and sin over [0, 2] are
zero:
_
C
2y dx 3 dy =
_
2
0
_
6 cos + 18 sin + 12 sin
2

_
d
= 12
_
2
0
sin
2
d = 12
_
2
0
_
1 cos 2
2
_
d
= (12)() = 12
We now state some basic properties of vector line integrals. First, we note that on
every curve there are two possible orientations corresponding to the two directions along
S E C T I O N 16.2 Line Integrals 955
the curve (Figure 8). We write C to denote the curve C with the opposite orientation.
If we reverse the orientation of the curve, the unit tangent vector changes sign from T to
T, and it follows that the vector line integral changes sign:

C
F ds =

C
F ds
Unit tangent
vector for C
x
y
Unit tangent
vector for C
C
C
P
Q
FIGURE 8 The path from P to Q has two
possible orientations.
Next, suppose that C is the disjoint union of n curves C
1
, . . . , C
n
. We indicate this using
the notation
C = C
1
+ +C
n
In this case, the line integral over C is equal to the sum of line integrals:

C
F ds =

C
1
F ds + +

C
n
F ds
We use this formula to dene the line integral when C is not smooth, but can be written
as a union of smooth curves C
1
, . . . , C
n
. In this case, C is called piecewise smooth. The
next theorem summarizes the main properties of line integrals.
THEOREM 3 Properties of Line Integrals Let C be a smooth oriented curve and let
F and G be vector elds.
(i) Linearity:

C
(F +G) ds =

C
F ds +

C
G ds

C
kF ds = k

C
F ds (k a constant)
(ii) Reversing orientation:

C
F ds =

C
F ds
(iii) Additivity: If C is a union of n smooth curves C
1
+ +C
n
, then

C
F ds =

C
1
F ds + +

C
n
F ds
EXAMPLE 5 Compute

C
F ds, where F = e
z
, e
y
, x + y and C is the triangle
joining (1, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0), and (0, 0, 1) oriented in the counterclockwise direction when
viewed from above.
Solution With vertices labeled as in Figure 9, we evaluate the line integral as the sum of
line integrals over the edges of the triangle:
956 C HA P T E R 16 LI NE AND SURFACE I NTEGRALS

C
F ds =

AB
F ds +

BC
F ds +

CA
F ds
The segment AB is parametrized by the path c(t ) = (1 t, t, 0) for 0 t 1. We have
c

(t ) = 1, 1, 0 and
A = (1, 0, 0)
B = (0, 1, 0)
C = (0, 0, 1)
z
y
x
FIGURE 9
F(c(t )) c

(t ) = F(1 t, t, 0) 1, 1, 0
=

e
0
, e
t
, 1

1, 1, 0 = 1 +e
t
Thus,

AB
F ds =

1
0
(e
t
1) dt = (e
t
t )

1
0
= (e 1) 1 = e 2
Similarly, BC is parametrized by c(t ) = (0, 1 t, t ) for 0 t 1 and
F(c(t )) c

(t ) =

e
t
, e
1t
, 1 t

0, 1, 1 = e
1t
+1 t

BC
F ds =

1
0
(e
1t
+1 t ) dt =

e
1t
+t
1
2
t
2

1
0
=
3
2
e
Finally, CA is parametrized by c(t ) = (t, 0, 1 t ) for 0 t 1 and
F(c(t )) c

(t ) =

e
1t
, 1, t

1, 0, 1 = e
1t
t

CA
F ds =

1
0
(e
1t
t ) dt =

e
1t

1
2
t
2

1
0
=
3
2
+e
The total line integral is equal to

C
F ds = (e 2) +

3
2
e

3
2
+e

= e 2
Physical Interpretation of the Line Integral
Recall that in physics, the term work refers to the energy expended when a force is
applied to an object to move it along a path. If we move the object along the straight line
from P to Q by applying a constant force F [Figure 10(A)], then the work W is equal to
the product:
W = (tangential component of force) times (distance from P to Q)
(A) (B)
P P Q
Q
F
F(P
i
)
T(P
i
)
P
1
P
i
P
N
FIGURE 10
The distance from P to Q is the length v of the vector v =

PQ, and the tangential
component of the force is F (v/v). We see that the work is simply the dot product
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18.1 LINE INTEGRALS I 941
THEOREM 18.1.4
Let h be a vector eld that is continuous on a smooth curve C. The line integral

C
h (r) dr =

b
a
[h (r (u)) r

(u)] du
is left invariant by every direction-preserving change of parameter.

PROOF Suppose that maps [c, d] onto [a, b] and that

is positive and continuous on

[c, d]. We must show that the line integral over C as parametrized by
R(w) = r ((w)), w [c, d]
equals the line integral over C as parametrized by r. The argument is straightforward:

c
h (R) dR =

d
c
[h (R(w)) R

(w)] dw
=

d
c
[h (r ((w))) r

((w))

(w)] dw
=

d
c
[h (r ((w))) r

((w))]

(w) dw
Set u = (w), du =

(w) dw.
At w = c, u = a; at w = d, u = b.

b
a
[h (r (u)) r

(u)] du =

C
h (r) dr. J
Example 2 Calculate

C
h (r) dr given that
h (x, y) = xy i + y
2
j and C : r (u) = u i +u
2
j, u [0, 1].
SOLUTION Here x(u) = u, y(u) = u
2
and
h (r (u)) r

(u) = [x(u)y(u) i +[y(u)]

2
j] [x

(u) i + y

(u) j]
= x(u)y(u)x

(u) +[y(u)]
2
y

(u)
= u(u
2
)(1) +u
4
(2u) = u
3
+2u
5
.

C
h (r) dr =

1
0
(u
3
+2u
5
) du =

1
4
u
4
+
1
3
u
6

1
0
=
7
12
. J
Example 3 Integrate the vector eld h (x, y, z) = xy i + yz j + xz k over the
twisted cubic r (u) = u i +u
2
j +u
3
k from (1, 1, 1) to (1, 1, 1).
SOLUTION The path of integration begins at u = 1 and ends at u = 1. In this case
x(u) = u, y(u) = u
2
, z(u) = u
3
.

Changes of parameter were explained in Project 14.4.

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942 I CHAPTER 18 LINE INTEGRALS AND SURFACE INTEGRALS
Therefore
h (r (u)) r

(u) = [x(u)y(u) i + y(u)z(u) j + x(u)z(u) k] [x

(u) i + y

(u) j + z

(u) k]
= x(u)y(u)x

(u) + y(u)z(u)y

(u) + x(u)z(u)z

(u)
= u(u
2
)(1) +u
2
(u
3
)2u +u(u
3
)3u
2
= u
3
+5u
6
.

C
h (r) dr =

1
1
(u
3
+5u
6
) du =

1
4
u
4
+
5
7
u
7

1
1
=
10
7
. J
If a curve C is not smooth but is made up of a nite number of adjoining smooth
pieces C
1
, C
2
, . . . , C
n
, then we dene the integral over C as the sum of the integrals
over the C
i
:
(18.1.5)

C
=

C
1
+

C
2
+ +

C
n
.
Such a curve is said to be piecewise smooth. Figure 18.1.2 gives some examples.
C
1 C
2
C
3
C
4
C
3
C
2
C
1
C
3
C
2
C
1
C
4
Figure 18.1.2
All polygonal paths are piecewise-smooth curves. In the next example we integrate
over a triangle. We do this by integrating over each of the sides and then adding up the
results. Observe that the directed line segment that begins at a and ends at b can be
parametrized by setting
r (u) = (1 u) a +u b, u [0, 1].
Example 4 Evaluate the line integral

C
h (r) dr if h (x, y) = e
y
i sin x j and
C is the triangle with vertices (1, 0), (0, 1), (1, 0) traversed counterclockwise.
SOLUTION The path C is made up of the three directed line segments:
C
1
: r (u) = (1 u) i +u j, u [0, 1],
C
2
: r (u) = (1 u) j +u (i) = u i +(1 u) j, u [0, 1],
C
3
: r (u) = (1 u)(i) +u i = (2u 1) i, u [0, 1].
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18.1 LINE INTEGRALS I 943
C
1
joins (1, 0) to (0, 1); C
2
joins (0, 1) to (1, 0); C
3
joins (1, 0) to (1, 0). See Figure
18.1.3.
x
y
C
2
C
1
C
3
(1, 0) (1, 0)
(0, 1)
Figure 18.1.3
As you can verify,

C
1
h (r) dr =

1
0

e
y(u)
x

(u) sin [x(u)]y

(u)

du
=

1
0

e
u
sin [(1 u)]

du = 1 e
2

C
2
h (r) dr =

1
0

e
y(u)
x

(u) sin [x(u)]y

(u)

du
=

1
0

e
1u
+sin (u)

du = 1 e
2

C
3
h (r) dr =

1
0

e
y(u)
x

(u) sin [x(u)]y

(u)

du =

1
0
2 du = 2.
The integral over the triangle is the sum of these integrals:

C
h (r) dr =

1 e
2

1 e
2

+2 = 4 2e
4

= 2.71. J
When we integrate over a parametrized curve, we integrate in the direction deter-
mined by the parametrization. If we integrate in the opposite direction, our answer is
altered by a factor of 1. To be precise, let C be a piecewise-smooth curve and let C
denote the same path traversed in the opposite direction. (See Figure 18.1.4.) If C is
parametrized by a vector function r dened on [a, b], then C can be parametrized by
setting
R(w) = r (a +b w), w [a, b]. (Section 14.3)
C
C
r (a) r (a)
r (b) r (b)
Figure 18.1.4
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944 I CHAPTER 18 LINE INTEGRALS AND SURFACE INTEGRALS
Our assertion is that
(18.1.6)

C
h (R) dR =

C
h (r) dr,
or, more briey, that
(18.1.7)

C
=

C
.
We leave the proof of this to you.
We were led to the denition of line integral by the notion of work. It follows
from (18.1.2) that if a force F is continually applied to an object that moves over a
piecewise-smooth curve C, then the work done by F is the line integral of F over C:
(18.1.8) W =

C
F(r) dr.
Example5 An object, acted on by various forces, moves along the parabola y = 3x
2
fromthe origin to the point (1, 3). (Figure 18.1.5.) One of the forces acting on the object
is F(x, y) = x
3
i + y j. Calculate the work done by F.
x
y
(1, 3)
1
y = 3x
2
Figure 18.1.5
SOLUTION We can parametrize the path by setting
C : r (u) = u i +3u
2
j, u [0, 1].
Here x(u) = u, y(u) = 3u
2
and
F(r (u)) r

(u) = [x(u)]
3
x

(u) + y(u)y

(u) = u
3
(1) +3u
2
(6u) = 19u
3
.
It follows that
W =

C
F(r) dr =

1
0
19u
3
=
19
4
. J
If an object of mass m moves so that at time t it has position r (t ), then, from
Newtons second law, F = ma, we can conclude that the total force on the object at
time t is given by the equation
F = m a = m r

(t ).
Example 6 An object of mass m moves fromtime t = 0 to t = 1 so that its position
at time t is given by the vector function
r (t ) = t
2
i +sin t j +cos t k, , constant.
Find the total force acting on the object at time t and calculate the total work done by
this force.
SOLUTION Differentiation gives
r

(t ) = 2t i + cos t j sin t k, r

(t ) = 2 i
2
sin t j
2
cos t k.