AMATH 231

Coordinates

ASSIGNMENT # 7 Vector Identities and Curvilinear

Fall 2014

Due Monday, November 10, 2014 at 2pm in box 7, slot 11 (A-M) and 12 (N-Z), located
across from MC4066. Late assignments or assignments submitted to the incorrect dropbox
will receive a grade of zero. Write your solutions clearly and concisely. Marks will be
deducted for poor presentation and incorrect notation.
~ be vector fields. Use Cartesian tensor notation
1. Let f be a scalar field and let F~ and G
to prove the following vector identity.
~ (F~ G)
~ = F~ (
~ G)
~ G
~ (
~ F~ ) + (G
~ )
~ F~ (F~ )
~ G
~

Note that you will need to use the identity that ikm psm = ip ks is kp .
Solution:
We expand the left hand side using the same identites as before but now we also have
to use the product rule, which is why we have twice as many terms on the right hand
~ = F~ G)
~
side as before (we define H
h

i
h
i
~
~
~
~
~
F G
= H ,
m

Hq
= pqm
,
xp

= pqm ijq
(Fi Gj ) ,
xp

= mpq qij
(Fi Gj ) .
xp
Next we use the same dentity as above to simplify the product of the alternating tensors
h

i

~ ~a ~b
(Fi Gj ) ,

= (mi pj mj pi )
xp
m

=
(Fm Gp )
(Fp Gm ) ,
xp
xp
which we expand to yield the final result, which is the indicial version of the identity
above
i
h

Gp
Fm
gm
Fp
~ F~ G
~
= Fm

+ Gp
Fp
Gm
.
xp
xp
xp
xp
m

2. The velocity field ~u(x, y, z) of a steady, constant-density fluid without viscosity satisfies
~ ~u = p,
~
(~u )
where p is proportional to the pressure in the fluid (you will see why in AMATH 363).
a) Show that this equation can be written in the form


1
~ p + ~u ~u ,

~ ~u =
2
~ u is the vorticity of the fluid. You will have to use a vector identity
where
~ = ~
G3 front the course notes. [2 marks]
~ ~u = 0, which holds if the fluid is incompressible. Take the curl
b) Assume that
of the equation in part a) and use another vector identity from part a) to show
that [2 marks]
~
~ ~u.
(~u )
~ = (~ )
Solution:
a) Using the formula,
~ F~ G)
~ = (F~ )
~ G
~ + (G
~ )
~ F~ + F~ (
~ G)
~ +G
~ (
~ F~ ),
(
~ = ~u we get
with F~ = ~u and G
1~
~ u + ~u (
~ ~u).
(~u ~u) = (~u )~
2
If we substitute this into the above equation yields the desired result.
b) We compute the curl of the equation and use the identity from the first question,



1
~
~
~
[~ ~u] = p + ~u ~u ,
2
~ ~u) ~u (
~
~ ~u (~u )
~

~ (
~ ) + (~ )
~ = ~0,
~ ~u = (~u )
~
(~ )
~.

3. For in cylindrical coordinates, derive the divergence of a vector field, F. [4 marks]

Solution:
From class operator in cylindrical coordinates is
~ = e + 1 e + ez

z
(see example 4.7 in the class lecture notes) and let F~ = F e + F e + Fz ez . It follows
that
~ F~ = e (F e + F e + Fz ez )

1 (F e + F e + Fz ez )
+ e

(F e + F e + Fz ez )
.
+ ez
z
Since e , e , ez depends only on , then


F
F
Fz
F = e e
+ e
+ ez



F
e
F
e
Fz
ez
1
+ F
+ e
+ F
+ ez
+ Fz
+ e e



F
F
Fz
+ ez e
+ e
+ ez
.
z
z
z
Since {e , e , ez } form an orthonormal set, then


F
~
~
F =
+0+0



1
e F
e
ez
+
0 + F b
e
+
+ F e
+ 0 + Fz



Fz
+ 0+0+
.
z
Note that

e
= e ,

e
= e ,

ez
= 0.

It follows that
~ F~ = F + 1





F
Fz
1
F
Fz
F +
+
=
(F ) +
+
.

4. Parabolic cylindrical coordinates (u, v, z) are given by

1
x = (u2 v 2 ), y = uv,
2
where < u < , v 0, and < z < .

z=z

(a) [1 mark] Find the unit coordinate vectors; that is, eu , ev , ez .

Let ~x = ( 21 (u2 v 2 ), uv, z), then
~x
(u, v, 0)
eu =  u  =
u2 + v 2
 ~x 
 u 
~x
(v, u, 0)
ev =  v  =
v 2 + u2
 ~x 
 v 
~x
ez =  z  = (0, 0, 1).
 ~x 
 z 
(b) [1 mark] Show that the unit coordinate system {eu , ev , ez } is orthogonal.
We have
uv + vu
(u, v, 0) (v, u, 0)

= 2
=0
eu ev =
u + v2
u2 + v 2
v 2 + u2
(u, v, 0)
u(0) + v(0) + 0(1)

eu ez =
(0, 0, 1) =
=0
u2 + v 2
u2 + v 2
(v, u, 0)
v(0) + u(0) + 0(1)

ev ez =
(0, 0, 1) =
=0
v 2 + u2
v 2 + u2
and hence orthogonality is proved.
(c) [2 marks] Express the vector field F~ = (x, y 2 , 2y) in the coordinate system,
(u, v, z).
The components of F in the coordinate system (u, v, z) are Fu , Fv , Fz where
F~ = Fu~eu + Fv~ev + Fz~ez
and

1
(u3 uv 2 ) + u2 v 3
(u, v, 0)
1 2
2
2 2

(u v ), u v , 2uv
= 2
2
u2 + v 2
u2 + v 2


1
2
(u v + v 3 ) + u3 v 2
1 2
(v, u, 0)

Fv = F~ ~ev =
(u v 2 ), u2 v 2 , 2uv
= 2
2
v 2 + u2
v 2 + u2


1 2
Fz = F~ ~ez =
(u v 2 ), u2 v 2 , 2uv (0, 0, 1) = 2uv.
2

Fu = F~ ~eu =

(d) The gradient in parabolic coordinates is

~ = 1
+
+

2
2
2
2
u + v u
u + v v z
(f) We must compute the partial derivatives of the unit vectors with respect to the
three variables.
eu
u
eu
v
eu
z
ev
u
ev
v
ez
u

(v 2 eu uvev )
,
(u2 + v 2 )3/2
(uveu + u2 ev )
=
,
(u2 + v 2 )3/2
=

= 0,
(uveu + v 2 ev )
,
(u2 + v 2 )3/2
(u2 eu uvev )
=
,
(u2 + v 2 )3/2
eu
eu
= 0,
= 0,
= 0.
v
z
=

Now using the formula from class,

Fu
1
Fv Fz
~ F~ = 1

+
+
2
2
2
2
z
u + v u
u + v v


1
eu
ev
ez
+
eu
Fu +
Fv +
Fz
u
u
u
u2 + v 2


eu
ev
ez
1
ev
Fu +
Fv +
Fz
+
v
v
v
u2 + v 2


1
ev
ez
eu
+
ez
Fu +
Fv +
Fz .
z
z
z
u2 + v 2
When we plug in our formulas from before we get,
Fu
1
Fv Fz
~ F~ = 1
+
+

z
u2 + v 2 u
u2 + v 2 v




1
Fv
1
Fv
2 Fu
2 Fu
v
u
+ 2
+ uv
+ 2
uv
,
(u + v 2 )2
u
v
(u + v 2 )2
u
v