Gua de problemas de las secciones 1.6 y 1.

7 del libro
Mathematical Methods for Physicists, sixth edition, de
George Arfken

Universidad de El Salvador, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matem

atica

Asignatura: Fsica Matematica I

Profesor del curso: MSC. Jose Francisco Melgar Brizuela

Alumno: Sergio Ernesto Aguilar Gutierrez AG13001

Fecha de entrega: 11 de Septiembre de 2014

1.6 Gradient,
E 1: (a) We can express S as S(r) = r3 , from properties we use:
(r3 )
r
r
= 3r4 r

S(r) =

= 3r5 r
S(x, y, z) = 3(x2 + y 2 + z 2 )5/2 (x
x + y y + z z)

Now we just evaluate the vector at (1,2,3):

S(1, 2, 3) = 3(12 + 22 + 32 )5/2 (
x + 2
y + 3
z)
= 3(14)5/2 (
x + 2
y + 3
z)
(b) Using the definition of magnitude of a vector

3
|S(1, 2, 3)| = 3(14)5/2 ( 1 + 4 + 9) = 3(14)2 =
196
(c) Following the definition of direction cosines.
(S)x
3(14)5/2
1
=
=
2
|S|
3(14)
14
5/2
(S)y
3(14)
2
cos =
= (2)
=
2
|S|
3(14)
14
5/2
3(14)
3
(S)z
= (3)
=
cos =
2
|S|
3(14)
14

cos =

E 2: (a) Since the surface can be described as F(x,y,z)=3, then F (x, y, z) is perpendicular to
the surface, particularly at (1,1,1), also F (r) = r2 . We have:
d(r2 )
= 2r
r = 2r
dr
F (x, y, z) = 2(x
x + y y + z z)
F (1, 1, 1) = 2(
x + y + z)
F (r) = r

To get the unit vector in the direction of F (1, 1, 1), we must calculate the magnitude
of F (1, 1, 1). This is:
2

|F (1, 1, 1)| = 2 1 + 1 + 1 = 2 3
F (1, 1, 1)
2(
x + y + z)

=
|F (1, 1, 1)|
2 3

(b) To derive the equation of the tangential plane to the surface F(x,y,z)=3 we must consider
the vector normal to the plane, like that of the image:

With two points on the plane, like P(1,1,1) of the exercise and a point that belongs to
the plane but with unknown coordinates like Q(x,y,z), we can form a vector on the plane

P Q. We can make use of a vector normal to the plane, like the one of the exercise
F (1, 1, 1) = (x 1)
x + (y 1)
y + (z 1)
z ; so we can operate it with the vector on the

plane, by this argument F (1, 1, 1) P Q = 0, therefore we have the following:

2(
x + y + z) ((x 1)
x + (y 1)
y + (z 1)
z) = 0
(x 1) + (y 1) + (z 1) = 0
x+y+z =3
E 3: The magnitude is given as:
|r12 | =

p
(x1 x2 )2 + (y1 y2 )2 + (z1 z2 )2

Taking the derivative:

p
( (x1 x2 )2 + (y1 y2 )2 + (z1 z2 )2 )
x1 x 2
=p
2
x1
(x1 x2 ) + (y1 y2 )2 + (z1 z2 )2

We can then notice that the gradient will be:

|r12 |
|r12 |
|r12 |
+ y
+ z
x1
y1
z1
1 x2 ) + y(y
1 y2 ) + z(z
1 z2 )
x(x
=p
(x1 x2 )2 + (y1 y2 )2 + (z1 z2 )2
r12
=
|r12 |
= r12

1 |r12 | = x

Here we observe that the vector r12 was divided by its magnitude, that is a unit vector that
points in the r12 direction.
E 5: To show that (uv) = uv + vu we use the fact that:
(uv) =

(uv) (uv) (uv)

+
+
x
y
z

Using the product rule of partial differentiation:

u v

v
u

v
u

+
u + y
u+v
+ z
u+v
x x
y
y
z
z
u
v
u
u

v
v

=v x
+ y
+ z
+u x
+ y
+ z
x
y
z
x
y
z
= uv + vu

v
(uv) = x

Following the other literals:

(a) When a vector depends only on a function r(x,y,z) the gradient is expressed as:
f (r) = r

df (r)
df (r)
= r
dr
dr

In a similar fashion for a function that depends on the variables u(x,y,z) and v(x,y,z) it
can be shown that
f (u, v) = u

The proof goes as follows:

f (u, v)
f (u, v)
+ v
u
v

f (u, v)
f (u, v)
f (u, v)
+ y
+ z
x
y
z
f (u, v) u f (u, v) v

f (u, v) u f (u, v) v

=x

+
+ y
+
u x
v x
u y
v y
f (u, v) u f (u, v) v

+
+ z
u z
v z
f (u, v) u
u
u
f (u, v) v
v
v
=
(
x
+ y
+ z ) +
(
x
+ y + z )
u
x
y
z
v
x
y
z

f (u, v) = x

In this particular case f(u,v)=0 then:

f (u, v) = 0
f (u, v)
f (u, v)
+ v
u
v
f (u, v)
f (u, v)
u
= v
u
v
0 = u

We can notice that u and v are parallel or anti parallel, in either case u v = 0.
(b) Since u=u(x,y) and v=v(x,y) from the special case when the are parallel or anti parallel,
we can use the mnemotechnical representation of the cross product that yields to:

x

 u
0 = u v =  x
 v


 u
z

0  = z  x
v
x
0

y
u
y
v
y

u 
y 
v 
y

Since the cross product must be equal to the zero vector, the z-component must equal to
zero:
 u u 


y 
0 =  x
v 
v
x

This is also yield by the Jacobian:

 u

u, v

J
= 0 =  x
v
x, y
x

u 
y 
v 
y

So the condition u v = 0 does in fact yield to J( u,v

).
x,y

1.7 Divergence,
E 2: If A is a vector then:
A0i =

aij Aj

We can derivate at both sides of the equality respect with time:

P
d( j aij Aj )
dA0i
=
dt
dt
By derivative properties the derivative of a sum is the sum of the derivatives of each element,
furthermore the term aij can be thought as a direction cosine between the axis x0i and xj ,
that is, aij is independent of time, then:
dA0i X dAj
=
aij
dt
dt
j

This result shows that

dA
is a vector since it satisfies the transformation law.
dt

E 3: (a) To prove it I will substitute and differentiate the sum of the product of components.
d(A B)
d(Ax Bx + Ay By + Az Bz )
=
dt
dt
dAx
dBx dAy
dBy dAz
dBz
=
Bx + Ax
+
By + Ay
+
Bz + Az
dt
dt
dt
dt
dt
dt
dA
dB
=
B+A
dt
dt
(b) To prove it I will calculate just one component of the vector and then generalize for the
whole:
dA B 
d(Ay Bz Az By )
 =
dt
dt
x
=

dAy
dAz
dBz
dBy
Bz
By + Ay
Az
dt
dt
dt
dt
h dA
dt

B
6

h
dB i
+ B
dt x
x

And similarly for the others components, so we can conclude that

dA B
dA
dB
=
B+B
dt
dt
dt

E 4: Because we now have a unit vector, by definition

ei ei = 1
But differentiating:
(1)
(ei ei )
=
=0
qj
qj
By the property already proved in the exercise 3, (a) we can expand the equality:
(ei )
(ei )
ei + ei
qj
qj
(ei )
=2
ei
qj
(ei )
ei
=
qj

0=

Since the unit vector can not be equal to the zero vector, then for the equality to hold, either
(ei )
i)
is the zero vector or (e
and ei are orthogonal so their dot product equals to zero.
qj
qj

E 5: To use the properties of the scalar product we need the divergence to be applied on both of
the vectors, using Feynman notation:

a b = a a b + b a b
This notation follows from the properties from the fact that the Nabla operator is acting on
both vector, now applying the properties of triple product to the expressions

a a b = b a
b a b = a b

This follows from the properties of cyclic permutations of triple product and the result is:
ab=ba+ab