Chapter 18: Problem 71
Are the statements in Problems \(70-80\) true or false? Give reasons for your answer. If \(C\) is the line segment that starts at (0,0) and ends at \((a, b)\) then \(\int_{C}(x \vec{i}+y \vec{j}) \cdot d \vec{r}=\frac{1}{2}\left(a^{2}+b^{2}\right)\)
Short Answer
Expert verified
True: The integral equals \(\frac{1}{2}(a^2 + b^2)\).
Step by step solution
01
Understand the problem
We need to determine if the statement is true or false: The line integral of the vector field \(x\vec{i} + y\vec{j}\) along line segment \(C\) from \((0,0)\) to \((a,b)\) equals \(\frac{1}{2}(a^2 + b^2)\).
02
Set up the position vector and differential
The curve \(C\) is the line segment from \((0,0)\) to \((a,b)\). Therefore, the position vector \(\vec{r}(t)\) can be described as \((at, bt)\) for \(t\) in the interval \([0,1]\). The differential is thus \(d\vec{r} = (a \, dt, b \, dt)\).
03
Define the vector field and perform the dot product
The vector field is \(F = x \vec{i} + y \vec{j}\). Therefore, along the line segment, the vector field is \(F(at, bt) = at \vec{i} + bt \vec{j}\). The dot product \((at \vec{i} + bt \vec{j}) \cdot (a \, dt\, \vec{i} + b \, dt\, \vec{j}) = (a^2 t + b^2 t) \, dt\).
04
Evaluate the integral
We integrate the expression \(\int_0^1 (a^2 t + b^2 t) \, dt\). This simplifies to \((a^2 + b^2)\int_0^1 t \, dt = (a^2 + b^2) \left[\frac{1}{2}t^2\right]_0^1 = \frac{1}{2}(a^2 + b^2)\).
05
Conclusion
The calculated result matches with the statement given in the problem, so the statement is true.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Vector Fields
A vector field is a mathematical construct where each point in a space is assigned a vector. Imagine a weather map showing wind patterns; each vector represents the wind's direction and speed at a particular point. In mathematics, vector fields are utilized to represent force fields like gravitational or electric fields.
- In our exercise, the vector field given is \( x \vec{i} + y \vec{j} \), where \( x \) and \( y \) denote the coordinates in 2D space.
- The vector field at any point \((x, y)\) gives the vector which has \( x \) units in the \( \vec{i} \) direction and \( y \) units in the \( \vec{j} \) direction, essentially acting like a wind blowing at each point.
Position Vectors
Position vectors allow us to describe a path or a curve in a space. They're particularly useful when you're dealing with line integrals along specific paths. Every position vector points from the origin (or another specified point) to a defined position in space.
- In this problem, the position vector is described as \( \vec{r}(t) = (at, bt) \).
- This vector represents the line segment from origin \((0,0)\) to the endpoint \((a,b)\).
- As \(t\) varies from 0 to 1, the position vector traces the entire segment \(C\).
Dot Product
The dot product, also known as the scalar product, is an operation that takes two vectors and returns a scalar. It's used to determine how much one vector goes in the direction of another. This concept is vital in physics and engineering to calculate work done when a force is applied over a distance.
- In this exercise, you compute the dot product of the vector field and the differential position vector: \((at \vec{i} + bt \vec{j}) \cdot (a \, dt \vec{i} + b \, dt \vec{j}) = (a^2 t + b^2 t) \, dt\).
- The dot product simplifies the expression by combining the components into a scalar quantity that can be integrated over a path.
Integration
Integration is a fundamental concept in calculus that involves summing up infinitely small quantities to find areas, volumes, and other cumulative values. When integrating vector fields along a curve or line, you're calculating the total effect of the field along that path.
- The integral in this exercise is \( \int_0^1 (a^2 t + b^2 t) \, dt \).
- By integrating the expression, you find that \( (a^2 + b^2) \left[ \frac{1}{2}t^2 \right]_0^1 = \frac{1}{2}(a^2 + b^2) \), confirming the original statement.
Multivariable Calculus
Multivariable calculus deals with functions of multiple variables and extends the concepts of single-variable calculus to higher dimensions. It's crucial for understanding systems and fields that change with respect to more than one variable, such as temperature distributions or electric fields.
- In multivariable calculus, you often work with vector fields, curves, and surfaces, requiring more complex integrals like those seen with line integrals.
- This exercise focuses on integrating a vector field along a path, a common task in multivariable calculus.