Chapter 16: Problem 15
An object moves along the line segment from (1,1) to \((2,5),\) subject to the force \(\boldsymbol{F}=\) \(\left\langle x /\left(x^{2}+y^{2}\right), y /\left(x^{2}+y^{2}\right)\right\rangle .\) Find the work done.
Short Answer
Expert verified
The work done by the force field is \(W = 0.\)
Step by step solution
01
Understanding Work Done
The work done by a force on an object moving along a path is calculated as the line integral of the force vector along the path. For a vector field \(\boldsymbol{F}(x, y) = \langle P(x, y), Q(x, y) \rangle\), the work done is given by \(W = \int_{C} \boldsymbol{F} \cdot d\boldsymbol{r}\), where \(C\) is the path from the starting point to the endpoint.
02
Parameterize the Path
Parameterize the line segment from \((1, 1)\) to \((2, 5)\) using a parameter \(t\). A suitable parameterization is \(\boldsymbol{r}(t) = (1 + t, 1 + 4t)\) where \(t\) ranges from 0 to 1.
03
Compute the Derivative of \(\boldsymbol{r}(t)\)
The derivative of \(\boldsymbol{r}(t)\) with respect to \(t\) is \(\boldsymbol{r}'(t) = \frac{d}{dt}[(1 + t, 1 + 4t)] = \langle 1, 4 \rangle\). This represents the differential element \(d\boldsymbol{r}\).
04
Express the Force Field in Terms of the Parameter \(t\)
Substitute the parameterized path \((x(t), y(t)) = (1 + t, 1 + 4t)\) into the force field. Thus, \(\boldsymbol{F}(1+t, 1+4t) = \left\langle \frac{1+t}{(1+t)^2 + (1+4t)^2}, \frac{1+4t}{(1+t)^2 + (1+4t)^2} \right\rangle\).
05
Compute the Dot Product \(\boldsymbol{F}(t) \cdot \boldsymbol{r}'(t)\)
The dot product of \(\boldsymbol{F}(1+t, 1+4t)\) and \(\boldsymbol{r}'(t) = \langle 1, 4 \rangle\) is \(\frac{1+t}{(1+t)^2 + (1+4t)^2} \cdot 1 + \frac{1+4t}{(1+t)^2 + (1+4t)^2} \cdot 4\). Thus, \(\boldsymbol{F}(t) \cdot \boldsymbol{r}'(t) = \frac{1+t + 4(1+4t)}{(1+t)^2 + (1+4t)^2}\).
06
Evaluate the Integral
Set up the integral to find the work done: \(W = \int_{0}^{1} \frac{1 + t + 4(1 + 4t)}{(1+t)^2 + (1+4t)^2} \, dt\). Simplify and solve this integral to find the work done by the force field on the object.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Work Done
In physics, work done refers to the amount of energy transferred by a force moving an object along a path. The concept of work done can be explored through line integrals in mathematics. When a force is represented by a vector field, and an object moves along a path, the work done by this force is the line integral of the force along the path.
- For example, if a force \( \boldsymbol{F}(x, y) = \langle P(x, y), Q(x, y) \rangle \) acts on an object as it moves from a point \( A \) to a point \( B \), the work \( W \) done is given by the line integral \( W = \int_{C} \boldsymbol{F} \cdot d\boldsymbol{r} \), where \( C \) is the path of movement.
- This technique captures not only the magnitude of the force applied but also considers how the force is applied along the trajectory.
Vector Fields
A vector field assigns a vector to every point in space. In this context, a force like \( \boldsymbol{F}(x, y) = \left\langle \frac{x}{x^2 + y^2}, \frac{y}{x^2 + y^2} \right\rangle \) depicts how the forces vary at each point on a plane.
- The first component \( \frac{x}{x^2 + y^2} \) suggests how much force acts in the x-direction, while the second component \( \frac{y}{x^2 + y^2} \) indicates the force in the y-direction.
- In vector fields, each vector can represent multiple physical quantities such as velocity, gravitational fields, or in our case, a force field.
Parameterization
Parameterization is a method used to represent a curve or line using one or more parameters. For curves in a plane, this usually involves representing x, y coordinates with a parameter \( t \).
- For instance, the line from \((1, 1)\) to \((2, 5)\) is parameterized as \( \boldsymbol{r}(t) = (1 + t, 1 + 4t) \), where \( t \) changes from 0 to 1.
- It provides a convenient way to handle the path of an object, transforming a range into linear equations that describe a continuous movement along the curve.
- The derivative of these functions gives the direction and the rate of movement, expressed as \( \boldsymbol{r}'(t) \), which is crucial for calculating things like the work done when an object moves along this path.