Instructors: TKG & DpC

Department of Physics, IIT-Kanpur

PHY103 (2014-15, II-SEM)

Problem Set 1

1. a) The plot of the following function looks like a hill on the xy plane:
h(x, y) = exp[(2xy 3x2 4y 2 18x + 28y 5)/60].
i) Where is the top of the hill located? How high (in meter or in feet as you wish) is the
hill? ii) In what direction is the slope steepest at the point (1,1)? iii) What is the rate of
change of h(x, y) at the point (1,1) in the direction n = (
xx + yy)?
b) Given a vector R = x(x x0 ) + y(y y 0 ) + z(z z 0 ), show that r R (gradient with
respect to x, y and z coordinates) is a unit vector parallel to R. Here, R = |R|.
2. Find the scaler function (x, y, z) whose gradient is A = = (2xy + z 3 )
x + x2 y + 3xz 2 z.
3. a) Evaluate for = ln |r| and = 1/|r|. Calculate E for E = r/rn . Here
r = x
x + y y + z z and n = 0, 1, 2, ... Comment on n = 3 case.
b) Repeat the same problem for two-dimensional case.
4. a) Suppose E = 0, B = 0, E = B
and B =
t
2 E =

2E
and
t2

2 B =

E
.
t

Show that

2B
.
t2

b) Consider A(x, y, z) = (y
x + x
y )/2 and the arbitrary scaler function f (x, y, z). Show
that
( + A) ( + A)f = ( A)f = f z
and


( + A) ( + A)f = 2 f + x

(x2 + y 2 )
y
f.
f+
y
x
4

Exercises
1. Show that (f A) = f A + A f for any scaler function f (x, y, z).
2. Find a unit normal vector to the surface 2xy 2 z x2 yz 2 = 1 at the point (1, 1, 1).
3. a) If A and B are two vector functions, obtain the Cartesian components of (A )B.
b) Evaluate (
r )
r, where
xx + yy + zz
r = 2
.
x + y2 + z2
c) Obtain the Cartesian components of the operator L = r .
4. Show that () = 0 for any scaler function (x, y, z) and ( A) = 0 for any
vector function A(x, y, z).
5. Calculate the Laplacian of the following functions: i) (x, y, z) = sin(ax) sin(by) sin(cz) with
a, b and c are constants ii) (x, y, z) = e5z sin(4y) cos(3z).
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