18.

02 TEST 3 - SOLUTIONS

Problem 1
Consider the vector field F = (4xy 2 + ex )i + (4x2 y + y)j
a) Show that F is conservative.
We can write F = M (x, y)i + N (x, y)j with
M (x, y) = 4xy 2 + ex ,

N (x, y) = 4x2 y + y.

Then, calculating the partial derivatives we see that

M
N
= 8xy =
,
x
y
and so F is conservative.
b) Find a potential function f (x, y) for F by any means.
We will use the algebraic method to find f (x, y): We begin by writing the vector equation
f (x, y) = M (x, y)i + N (x, y)j
as the two equations
f
= 4xy 2 + ex ,
x
f
= 4x2 y + y.
y
Integrating the first equation in x and the second equation in y, we obtain

f (x, y) = 4xy 2 + ex dx = 2x2 y 2 + ex + C1 (y),

f (x, y) = 4x2 y + y dy = 2x2 y 2 + 21 y 2 + C2 (x).

Here C1 (y) is a function of y only, and C2 (x) is a function of x only. Setting
C1 (y) = 21 y 2 ,

C2 (x) = ex ,

the two expressions for f (x, y) agree, and we have

f (x, y) = 2x2 y 2 + ex + 12 y 2 .
1

18.02 TEST 3 - SOLUTIONS

Note. Using integration method, we let f (0, 0) = 0, then

f (a, b) =
M dx + N dy,
C

where C is any curve from (0, 0) to (a, b). We can choose it to be the straight segment between
these two points. It is parametrized by x = at, y = bt, 0 t 1. Then,
1
(4ab2 t3 + eat )a dt + (4a2 bt3 + bt)b dt
f (a, b) =
0

1

b2 t2
= a2 b2 t4 + eat + a2 b2 t4 +
2 0
= 2a2 b2 + (ea 1) +

b2
.
2

We may remove the constant 1 (that is, assuming instead f (0, 0) = 1), to get
f (x, y) = 2x2 y 2 + ex +

c) Evaluate

y2
.
2

F. dr, where C is the curve y = x8 traversed from (0, 0) to (1, 1).

Since F is conservative, applying the fundamental theorem of calculus we obtain

F. dr =
f. dr = f (1, 1) f (0, 0),
C

where f (x, y) is the potential function found in part b). Therefore, the line integral is equal to


f (1, 1) f (0, 0) = 2 + e + 21 e0 = 32 + e .

Problem 2
Let F(x, y) = x2 yi x3 j and C be the positively oriented close curve consisting of the parabolic path
y = x2 from (0, 0) to (1, 1) followed by the line connecting these 2 points. Verify Greens theorem
in the tangential form for this F and C; that is evaluate the line integral and the double integral
and show that they are equal.
We can write F(x, y) = M (x, y)i + N (x, y)j, with
M (x, y) = x2 y,

N (x, y) = x3 .

Greens theorem in the tangential form then says that




N
M
M (x, y) dx + N (x, y) dy =

dA,
x
y
C
R

18.02 TEST 3 - SOLUTIONS

where R is the region enclosed by C.

a) We first compute the line integral: We write
C = C1 + C2 ,
where C1 is the parabolic path y = x2 from (0, 0) to (1, 1), and C2 is the straight line from (1, 1)
back to (0, 0). On C1 we have
y = x2 ,

F(x, y) = x4 i x3 j,

0 x 1,

dy = 2x dx,

and so

C1

x4 (x3 )(2x) dx =

M (x, y) dx + N (x, y) dy =
0

x4 dx = 51 .

On C2 we have
F(x, y) = x3 i x3 j,

y = x,
and x goes from 1 to 0. So,

dy = dx,

x3 x3 dx = 0.

M (x, y) dx + N (x, y) dy =
C2

Therefore,

M (x, y) dx + N (x, y) dy =
C

M (x, y) dx + N (x, y) dy

M (x, y) dx + N (x, y) dy +
C2

C1

= 51 + 0 = 15 .

b) We now compute the double integral


R

N
M

x
y


dA.

First we calculate
N
M

= 3x2 x2 = 4x2 .
x
y
Using vertical strips, we can write R as the region x2 y x, 0 x 1. So, the double integral
is equal to
1 x
1

1
4x2 dy dx =
4x2 (x x2 ) dx = x4 + 54 x5 0 = 1 + 45 = 15 .
0

x2

This agrees with the line integral computed in a), and verifies Greens Theorem in this case.

18.02 TEST 3 - SOLUTIONS

Problem 3
Consider the force field F =

y
x2 +y 2




+ x i + x2x
+y 2 + y j.

a) Use Greens theorem to calculate the work done by F in traversing C1 , the path going counterclockwise around the square centred at (2, 0) with vertices (1, 1), (3, 1), (3, 1) and (1, 1).
We write F = M (x, y)i + N (x, y)j, with
M (x, y) =

y
+ x,
x2 + y 2

N (x, y) =

x
+ y.
x2 + y 2

Setting R1 to be the inside of the square C1 , we see that it does not contain the origin. This means
that the functions M (x, y), N (x, y) and their first derivatives are continuous inside R1 , and we can
apply Greens theorem to get

N
M
F. dr =

dA.
y
C1
R1 x
Calculating we have:
(x2 + y 2 ) + 2x2
x2 y 2
N
=
=
,
x
(x2 + y 2 )2
(x2 + y 2 )2
M
(x2 + y 2 ) 2y 2
x2 y 2
=
=
.
y
(x2 + y 2 )2
(x2 + y 2 )2
This gives
M
N

= 0,
x
y
and so the work done by F along C1 is

F. dr =

C1

0 dA = 0 .
R1

b) Calculate the work done by F in traversing C2 , the unit circle centred on the origin. Note:
Greens Theorem cannot be applied to any region containing the origin.
Since the curve C2 encloses the origin, and M (x, y), N (x, y) are not continuous at the origin,
we cannot apply Greens theorem as in part a). Instead, we calculate the line integral directly: We
can parameterise the curve C2 as
x = cos t, dx = sin t dt,

y = sin t, dy = cos t,

On C2 , the force F is equal to:


F=




cos t
sin t
+ cos t i +
+ sin t j,
1
1

0 t 2.

18.02 TEST 3 - SOLUTIONS

and so

(sin t + cos t) ( sin t) + ( cos t + sin t) (cos t) dt

F. dr =
0

C2

sin2 t cos2 t dt = 2 .

=
0

c) Calculate the work done by F in traversing C3 , the path going counter-clockwise around the
square centred at (0, 0) with vertices (2, 2), (2, 2), (2, 2) and (2, 2).
As in b), the curve C3 encloses the origin, and so we cannot apply Greens theorem directly.
Instead we apply Greens theorem to the region R2 , which is outside the circle C2 and inside the
square C3 . The origin is not contained in R2 , and so Greens theorem tells us that

N
M
F. dr =
F. dr

dA.
y
R2 x
C2
C3
By the calculation in part a), we know that

M
N

dA = 0,
x
y
R2
and so

F. dr = 2 .

F. dr =
C3

C2

Problem 4
Consider the vector field F = (xy 2 + y 3 )i + (1 + xy y 3 /3)j.
Calculate the flux of F across the open path consisting of the pair of line segments running from
the points (x, y) = (2, 0) to (1, 1) to (0, 0).
We first write F = M (x, y)i + N (x, y)j with
N (x, y) = 1 + xy 13 y 3 .

M (x, y) = xy 2 + y 3 ,

We can set C1 to be the line segment from (2, 0) to (1, 1), C2 to be the line segment from (1, 1) to
(0, 0), and C3 to be the line segment from (0, 0) to (2, 0).
We want to calculate the flux

F.n ds +

C1

By Greens theorem in normal form we have

F.n ds +
F.n ds +
C1

C2

F.n ds.
C2

C3

F.n ds =
R

M
N
+
dA,
x
y

18.02 TEST 3 - SOLUTIONS

where R is the inside of the triangle with vertices at (2, 0), (1, 1) and (0, 0).
On C3 we have
y = 0, dy = 0,
and so

F = 0i + j,

1 dx = 2.

F.n ds =
C3

0 x 2,

Using horizontal strips, the bounds for the triangle R are equal to
0 y 1,

y x 2 y,

and
N
M
+
= y2 + x y2 = x
x
y
So,

M
N
+
dA =
x
y

2y

x dx dy
0

(2 y)2 y 2 dy =

1
2

2 2y dy
0

= 2 1 = 1.
Bringing everything together gives

F.n ds +
C1

F.n ds = 1 (2) = 3 .

C2

Problem 5
Calculate the double integral

4(x2 y 2 )3 (x2 + y 2 ) dx dy,

I=
R

where R is the region contained inside the quadrilateral with vertices at (0, 0), (1, 0), (0, 1) and
( 21 , 12 ). You may find the substitution u = x + y, v = x y useful.
We first need to write the bounds of R in terms of u and v:
0 u 1,
We next calculate the Jacobian. First,

(u, v)  u
=  x
v
(x, y)  x

u
y
v
y

1 v u.
 
 
  1
=
1



1 
= 2.
1 

This means that du dv = | 2| dx dy, and so

dx dy =

1
2

du dv.

18.02 TEST 3 - SOLUTIONS

We also need to write the function

4(x2 y 2 )3 (x2 + y 2 )
in terms of u and v. Since
x2 y 2 = uv,

x2 + y 2 = 21 (u2 + v 2 ),

we have
4(x2 y 2 )3 (x2 + y 2 ) = 4(uv)3 . 12 (u2 + v 2 ) = 2u3 v 3 (u2 + v 2 ).
This means that

4(x2 y 2 )3 (x2 + y 2 ) dx dy =
R

1
1 u

u5 v 3 + u3 v 5 dv du

=
1

=
0

1 5
4u

u4 1 + 16 u3 u6 1 du

5 9
12 u

14 u5 16 u3 du

=
=

2u3 v 3 (u2 + v 2 ). 21 dv du

0
5
120

1
= 24
.

1
24

1
24